A Supernatural Life- Season 1
by Rookie-Badass
Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Winchester brothers, but what happened if the stories left out their family friend? Meet Aliana Prescott, aged 19 and a Hunter since the age of 7, when she became an orphan. Having known the Winchesters since she was born, John and the boys took her on where she depended on them, to the point they became inseparable. Follow her journey as a Hunter.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** So I love writing fanfics and decided to upload a Supernatural one on here. It follows the different seasons, so there will be 20-23 chapters per 'story' to follow along with the amount of episodes in each season, but I have my own character in along with the Winchesters. I've written fanfics before but they have either included my own ideas (such as the Charmed one I've written) or band fanfics, which are available on another site. So writing this way is fairly new to me. The dialogue and what happens may be changed slightly due to the new character but the important/funny quotes will be kept, so please let me know what you think and what I'm doing right (if anything) and what I can improve on. Thanks!

-Laura

**Chapter 1- Pilot**

"Alright, so what do you want to do?" I questioned frowning at my brother. He huffed a sigh and shook his head which hung in between his knees since he was positioned so that he was leaning forwards on his knees.

"I don't know Ali" he sighed before lifting his head up to look me in the eye and I frowned at him before sighing a pushing a hand through my bangs, to tuck them behind my ears, the rest of my hair was tied up as it always was since my hair was long and got in the way so tying it up was easier, plus it meant that I was ready in case we were attacked.

"Well think dude" I sighed, getting to my feet and walking over to the mini fridge in our motel room before extracting two beers, popping the lids off with the bottle opener and then handing one to Dean while I took my place on the bed next to his where we had been sitting. He smiled gratefully before taking a few gulps and holding the bottle between his hands, where he used it to keep his hands busy.

"Well I can think of one thing" he sighed and I nodded at him to go on before taking a swig of my ice cold beer and he shuck his head at me.

"You're not gonna like it" he stated and I rolled my eyes.

"If I have to play bait then so be it, as long as you get your father back" I sighed and Dean winced but shook his head.

"That's not what I mean Ali" I frowned at him and rolled my eyes.

"Well spit it out brother, we don't have all day" I stated. He had been worrying for the past four and a bit hours and suddenly when he thinks of an idea he doesn't want to tell me? See this is why the only guys in my life are Dean and his father, well until his dad took off somewhere and we haven't seen him for three weeks.

"Sam" he stated and I froze, looking at him over my beer which was now hovering in front of my lips and I stared at Dean with wide eyes.

"You've got to be joking?" I asked and he met my eyes and gave me the 'look' which basically meant he stared at me with a clenched jaw and I sighed, knowing he was being deadly serious. With a shake of my head I deposited my bottle on the bedside table and got to my feet, still shaking my head.

"Nope not happening Winchester" I stated and Dean groaned.

"We don't have a choice Ali" he stated firmly and I turned around to face him, seeing that he was now standing up in between the twin beds. I snorted in response.

"He's been at college for two years so far. We've coped without him, just the three of us, so you suddenly want to drag him into this life, the life he ran away from, because John is being a pain in our ass again?" Dean glared at me.

"Firstly Ali dad is not a pain in our ass" he shuck his head and held up a hand when I went to argue. The damn stubborn bastard, he gets that off his dad!

"Secondly Sam may have chosen to 'run away' as you put it, but this is his family. He'll want to know that our dad has disappeared off the face of the earth" he tried reasoning with me. I closed my eyes and took a few breaths to calm myself down.

"Dean, your brother has made no effort to keep in contact with you, or your dad or me, what makes you think he will so happily jump back into this life? Dean he never wanted to be a Hunter, didn't you ever see that?" I asked and Dean shook his head at me.

"Aliana, Hunting is in his blood, whether he likes it or not. Now we are going to pull Sam out of Stanford and that's that"

"So I have no say in this?"

"No, you don't"

I huffed a laugh of disbelief and continued staring at Dean, while also checking him out at the same time. Now don't get me wrong there is an age gap of seven years between us, and he is practically my brother, just not by blood. But if any female with working hormones isn't attracted to him, well then she's a lesbian. I wasn't attracted to him in the slightest because that would practically be incest, but I of course appreciated his good looks.

Dean Winchester was 26 years old with eyes that I had never figured out whether they were green or hazel, they were just a mixture of both. And I mean a mixture, as in God threw the colours together and mixed them up before deciding that Dean would have that random eye colour. But it suited him of course. He had a defined, square jaw that stood out when he clenched his jaw, which was mostly out of anger or frustration- something I would know because I made it my job to be a pain in his ass whenever we weren't working- with masculine features and the fullest lips that looked kissable. He was well built, with obvious muscles on his arms, but he wasn't the body builder type just a few pounds over lean, with the broadest shoulders I'd ever seen on a guy, and I had come across a lot of guys in our line of work.

"Ali" he sighed and I blinked realising that he had tired of our staring match. I sighed too, feeling defeated. I could never hold a grudge against Dean; I loved him too much for that.

"So is there a reason I don't get a say in this?" I asked, tacking a weary sigh onto the end and rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah because this is my family we are talking about" he said and I froze in disbelief, my eyes instantly landing on his face as I felt them well up with tears, making his face blurry.

"Shit, Ali I didn't mean-"

"Sure you did Dean, we both know you don't say things unless you mean them. Suppose that put me in my place" I stated, swallowing past the lump in my throat and walking over to my bed, throwing my duffle onto the covers and packing up the small amount of clothing that I had removed before zipping it up. After slinging the bag onto my shoulder I turned and walked out of the door, not giving Dean a second glance as I walked over to his baby.

The Chevy Impala stood in the parking space right in front of the door and I walked over to her, leaning against the passenger door, waiting for Dean to walk out and unlock the car so that we could get started.

I looked up and saw him moving around in the motel room before he walked out and unlocked the Impala, allowing the both of us to throw our bags in the backseat and me to climb in while he walked off to reception to settle our bill.

Asshole! I scrunched my hands up on my knees as I blinked away the tears, refusing to let them spill, just like I'd stopped them from falling every day and every night for the past twelve years.

I was Aliana Prescott, aged 19 and my whole life I had known the Winchesters. By know them I mean that my family lived next door to John Winchester and his two sons Sam and Dean when all of us lived in a place called Lawrence in Kansas. Dean was the oldest brother by four years and had always been a big brother to me as well as his own brother. My dad knew John, their father, and the two of them had been tight, as tight as brothers, without being related by blood. I think they knew each other in middle school and had been joined at the hip, though I never knew how or why they became best friends.

John was the best man at my parents' wedding and my father, Oscar, had been best man at John's wedding, where he married Mary. Unfortunately though it seemed that death ran in our families as when Dean was four and his brother Sam was just a baby, Mary was killed and John had to watch it with his own eyes, unable to do anything as his wife burned. My parents offered as much support as they could, looking after Sam and Dean as much as possible while John and my father went out and did their jobs, though the boys were too young to know what that job entailed of at the time. My parents were godparents to Sam and Dean and because they had trouble having children of their own, well the boys became substitute children, until my sister and I were born, then the four of us were looked after by my parents, though it didn't last long. Since my parents now had their own children, well John decided that it was time his boys stayed with him, and they did, though they still visited of course since Sam and Dean were fond of my sister and me.

Then when I was a few months away from turning eight the accident happened. The accident that ripped my family away from me and made me an orphan. My parents and sister were killed and as soon as John heard he came running back and took me in as the daughter he never had, the boys both welcoming me and Dean became protective of me, especially because that was when everything started to become strange, painful and scary for me, he had to look after Sam and I a lot as John carted us around, state-to-state as he did his job, leaving the boys and myself in small motel rooms since they were all we could afford. Dean was always left in charge and he made sure he did his best to protect his brother and me and for that I would always be grateful.

The fact that he had pushed me out and said that it was his family, _his_ family, like I had nothing to do with them! Like he didn't think of me as a fucking sister! He always had done and he even called me his 'sis' quite often. The bastard! He knew that I still had nightmares about the night that my family were taken from me, fuck I would only let him within a foot of me when that happened and only he could calm me down and send me off to sleep again. So the fact that he had implied that I meant nothing to him or to John fucking hurt, the Winchesters were my family now. They were all I had.

The door slammed shut, bringing me out of my thoughts, but I didn't even spare Dean a look, still reeling from the punch he'd sent to my heart and my gut at what he had said, though I knew he didn't mean it, I knew he didn't think of me any less because to him I was his sister, just not by blood.

"Sis I'm sorry" and there it was, I bit my lip to keep the smile from appearing on my face and I let my head flop in his direction, the car rumbling beneath us since he'd turned on the engine already. He swallowed a little at my blank expression, something which I had accumulated from him since that was what he did best, kept his expression blank and everyone behind a wall, but we both knew it was the right thing to do. My hands started to shake and I scrunched them up, fighting off the wave of nausea and desperation, as well as pain and guilt that drowned me. He frowned at my reaction and I nodded, swallowing though my mouth was so dry and my throat so parched that I couldn't muster up any saliva. He placed his hand over mine, prying my fingers apart and sighing when he saw that my nails had bitten into my skin, before he took out a wipe from the glove compartment and wiped the blood away, but he didn't ask and I was grateful because he knew I would never give him an answer. He just knew to trust me.

"I know you are Dean" I sighed and he smiled at me before leaning over and kissing my forehead fondly before pulling back and sending me a wink, which I knew would have all the ladies falling over him but never worked on me. He chuckled when I lifted my eyebrows, unimpressed at him but we both knew it was only a joke, before he shifted the car into reverse, pulling out and changing gears again before heading for the road and driving onto the highway.

"You could never hold a grudge with me" I smirked and he rolled his eyes at me, sending me a half smile, which I knew was his embarrassed smile and I chuckled.

"Yeah you could never stay mad at me either" he replied and I turned to watch him driving, feeling my left eyebrow rise teasingly.

"Sounding a little cocky there brother" I stated and he smirked.

"You love me for it" I rolled my eyes at him and shuck my head before pulling out his box of cassette tapes and shoving the AC/DC tape into the player and pressing play. The song Runaway Train started playing through the car and Dean grinned at me before we both started singing along.

John always played the cassettes in the car and we all used to have a karaoke as we drove from place to place, though Sam never joined in when he was still with us because he was a spoilsport, so I'd practically grown up on John's music taste, so Dean and I shared the same love of music.

"Well I hope your brother is ready" I sighed and Dean grimaced at me in reply before shrugging.

"Hopefully the fact that dad is missing will give him enough push to get his head out of his ass and give us a hand" he sighed and I frowned at him before shaking my head.

"Dean, you and I both know that he won't stay with us. It would take some sort of fucking miracle to pry him away from his perfect, normal life" I stated before snorting a laugh and Dean glanced at me questioningly before turning his attention back to the road.

"What?" he asked I snorted again, shaking my head.

"It's just that Sam always wanted a normal life and he got it, but nothing about him is fucking normal. I mean Hunting always has been and always will be a part of him. It runs in his veins" I shrugged and Dean nodded in agreement.

"I know that Ali, and you know that, but just like you told me he never wanted to be a Hunter" he sighed and I sent Dean an apologetic smile. I knew it was hard for him, their dad dragged them off and was never around because of his work, he raised the boys and myself like warriors but Dean still loved him, though Sam and John had never seen eye to eye, simply because Sam never agreed with his dad, never wanted his life to be this way, because he had it planned out and his life involved getting a job, getting married and having a family. There was no room for his job as a Hunter in there. Sam always wanted a normal life whereas John and I wanted revenge and became Hunters to bring every supernatural son of bitch down, while Dean admired his father and would do anything to please him, though John never seemed to fucking realise that at all. I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face, but the tiredness was a permanent thing, something I'd lived with for the last twelve years of my life.

"You should sleep Ali, you need your rest. I'll wake you when we get there" Dean said and I shuck my head, blinking rapidly to keep myself awake.

"No I'm fine" my brother sighed at my response.

"So damn stubborn. Sleep sis and don't worry, I'm right here beside you" he said, looking at me in worry and I rolled my eyes at him, of course Dean would know that I didn't want to sleep in fear of the nightmares coming back and tormenting me again. With a sigh I nodded and Dean grinned in victory at winning against me in an argument, before he pulled his jacket off the back of my seat and draped it over me as I pushed the seat back, allowing me to lie comfortably.

"Night sis" he smiled down at me.

"Night brother" I sighed, a smile on my face.

"You awake properly yet?" he asked and I sighed, swallowing the last mouthful of coffee before making a face and shrugging at him.

"I suppose" I replied, rubbing a hand over my face, before stepping out of the car and slamming the door, making the both of us wince as the noise echoed down the street. The cool air whipped at my face and wiped away the last remnants of sleep that still clung to me and I took in a deep breath of the cool air before letting it out and sending Dean a reassuring grin. He nodded back in return before we faced the house.

"So this is where Sammy lives?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and Dean looked back and grinned at me.

"Nice place huh?" he asked and I nodded before making a noise of agreement.

"Damn right" I tacked a whistle on the end.

Anything would look nice to the both of us though since we didn't have a permanent home. Being a Hunter meant looking through the latest news or hacking into the police radar to see if there were any suspicious looking deaths and then going in the direction of those jobs, looking into them more and then ganking whatever bitches were killing people, which of course could be anything from ghosts, shifters, vampires, werewolves, demons and any other supernatural shit that just loved killing and in particular humans. As Hunters we hunted the bastards down and did what we should, which was kill them to prevent any further disasters. Dean, Sam and I had learnt everything from John, and John used to be a Marine so he knew how to fight fucking well, which came in handy when it came to putting the suckers down. He learnt everything as he went along, with the help of a few Hunter friends, friends which included my dad and my 'Uncle' Bobby, and he passed those down to Dean and I, since Sam knew everything but wasn't as eager to act on it, unlike his father and myself.

Mary Winchester had been killed which had prompted John into becoming a Hunter and killing every supernatural piece of shit he could find, since he was on the hunt for Mary's killer. I also wanted revenge for my family, knowing that whatever had taken their lives was supernatural but I didn't know what it was and couldn't remember what it looked like, thanks to the fact that my seven year old mind had blocked that off, and it was now something that I couldn't reach, not even with the help of Bobby's many spells or actual spells from witches, which yeah was surprising and had pissed John off because he couldn't kill the witches since we needed their supernatural help. It was something my mind refused to remember and after trying for two years to receive that information we gave up, going purely on wherever the next job took us, in the hopes that we would find something. So the job stopped us from settling down in one place for too long and that was really the only part that I hated about being a Hunter, well that and the fact that it was a dangerous business and I was constantly scared that I would lose Dean or John.

"Ready to do this?" Dean asked and I grinned at him, shoving my gun into a strap on my calf and my knife into the strap on my other calf before winking at him.

"Let's do this" I replied and he grinned before we crept up to the house. According to Dean he had saw Sam come home from partying with his friends about two hours ago and was positive that his brother and whoever it was that he shared this place with were sleeping.

Dean walked up to the window around the side of the building and bent to pick the lock as I stood guard, keeping my eyes peeled for any movement around us which may alert us to some creature lurking around or just some poor sorry ass who had the unfortunate business of watching Dean and I do a bit and breaking and entering, which of course wasn't uncommon at all for us. It came with the job. I heard the it click and Dean grinned up at me before straightening up and pushing the window upwards slowly.

We carefully made our way inside, though we made a little noise of course when our feet hit the floor, checking the room we walked in to before I looked at him. It was dark, but I could make out his silhouette and he signalled with his hand for me to carry on, which I did, also making my footsteps a little more loud, wincing when they echoed a little, but we needed Sam to hear us and come down to check what was going on. Dean was moving around in the room next to where I was and I could hear his footsteps as well as the occasional squeak of a floorboard as his weight moved over the floor. He was a bulky guy though, packed entirely with muscle, as well as any extra fat that he may put on due to his love of pie. He seriously loved pie.

We met in the doorway to one of the rooms, as we heard movement above us, I grinned at Dean and knew him so well to know he was grinning back before we took up positions behind doors and around the corner of a room, though we had to be careful in case it was anyone other than Sam, but I knew by the clenching of my stomach and the excitement that it would be Sam who came down the stairs to find out who had broken into his house. I just knew these things.

A few moments later a figure emerged through the doorway and stood around the corner so I signalled to Dean to move, which he could see since there wasn't much space in between us. He flicked his wrist to tell me he got the message before walking out of his hiding place and passed Sam, who I could see was holding something in his hands. A baseball bat maybe? Sam jumped out from behind the door and tried to hit Dean on the back of the head, but my brother was quicker and managed to snap around and grab Sam's hand, causing Sam to drop what he was holding, but the floor was carpeted and I couldn't hear the contact it made with the floor over the sound of their grunts. I rolled my eyes, deciding that I would stay out of their way while they had their little scuffle, already knowing that Dean was planning on testing his younger brother to see how in practice he was, if he still was. Personally I couldn't see it if I was honest but I knew Dean was hopeful that Sam wouldn't be rusty. I knew better than to expect such things, hell if I could live a normal life and go to college and prance around with friends, then I wouldn't train anymore either, but my training came from Hunting and killing whatever I could.

I heard a crash and jumped out of my skin, hurrying over to where I heard the sound coming from.

"Shit" I swore under my breath. This was not the fucking plan! Dean was supposed to grab Sam and get him so we could talk; he was going to wake up the whole fucking house the airhead! Then again Dean was the brawn while San was the brains; it was why the two of them made the perfect team. I just tagged along for the ride, and occasionally became helpful. I heard their grunts just as I heard a thud, followed by Sam's grunt and rolled my eyes as I could make out Dean holding Sam to the floor since the moon had appeared from behind the clouds, illuminating the two of them where they were lying in front of the nearby window.

"Easy tiger" Dean said and I could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

"Dean?" Sam exclaimed and I could hear the surprise in his voice.

"Ali" I stated, feeling left out and heard Dean snort a laugh.

"You scared the crap out of me" Sam stated, sounding out of breath.

"It's cause you're out of practice" Dean replied just as Sam linked his leg around Dean's and turned so that he was pinning his brother to the floor.

"Or not" Dean replied, sounding amused.

"You were saying" Sam stated and Dean chuckled.

"Alright, alright, now get off me man" he said and Sam stood up, holding his hand out which Dean gripped, using it to pull himself to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked as the two of them stood opposite each other, probably surveying the other in what they could see in the little amount of light there was coming from the streetlamps outside as well as the sliver of moonlight coming in through the curtains.

"Well I was hoping for a beer" Dean joked and I laughed quietly along with him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam reiterated, emphasising each and every word as though Dean was a stupid child. Dean sighed before answering.

"I was hoping we could talk" he stated and I heard Sam sigh.

"Err the phone" fucking smartass little prick!

"Would you have answered if I'd called?" Dean asked. _Ding, ding, he has a point there Sammy!_ I thought to myself, because we all knew the answer to that question. It was then that the lights flickered on and I groaned, squinting against the light.

"Gaah it burns" I joked and Dean joined in with my laughter.

"Sam?" a female voice said and I blinked, before looking towards the door and seeing a pretty blonde standing there wearing nothing but a pair of striped pink booty shorts and a grey crop top. I rolled my eyes waiting for Dean's comment which I knew would come, the slut.

"Jess, hey" Sam stated and the girl looked surprised before Sam sighed.

"What's going on here?" she asked, looking a little shaken. It made sense though, anyone would be shaken if they walked down the stairs to find their boyfriend and a random guy standing in their living room. I rolled my eyes and looked away from her to the boys and Dean grinned my way, but I glared at him and shuck my head. He frowned in annoyance as Sam sighed.

"Nothing Jess, go back to bed" he stated and I snorted out loud, which made both Sam and the girl, Jess look my way.

"Right. Did you know the Pope was Muslim?" I joked and Dean chuckled, before silencing when Sam sent a glare his way before he turned back to his girlfriend.

"Dean this is my girlfriend Jessica" Sam sighed and I sighed before walking over to Dean to stand on his left as he sent his 'lady killer' smile at Jess. Oh here we go!

"Wait Dean as in your brother?" she asked, looking at Sam and he sent her an awkward looking smile before she looked back at Dean, a slight frown on her face as she looked at him.

"Aah so you haven't forgotten your brother?" I asked, looking at Sam, making Dean hiss and nudge me with his elbow, but I ignored him and Sam's jaw tightened before he looked away. Yeah asshole! I shrugged innocently at Dean and he sighed, before shaking his head at me, but I wasn't worried about him being pissed off. Dean grinned at Jess before sauntering over.

"I love the smurfs" he stated and I frowned, seeing that Sam looked pissed off before looking over to Jess as Dean continued talking to her, "-and let me say, you are way out of my brother's league" and strike, I was waiting for him to say something ever since Jess emerged. With a frown I looked at her grey top and saw that there was a picture of two smurfs on her chest area.

She glanced down at herself before shifting her weight and turning her body slightly.

"I'll be a minute, I just need to go and put something on" she stated and Dean snorted.

"Oh don't worry, I wouldn't dream of it" he said and I groaned, before elbowing him in the ribs, which made him wince and glare at me.

"Dude really? Hitting on your brother's girl? Come on Dean, have some class you whore" I stated and Sam snorted a laugh as Dean glared at me, but kept silent, ending in me giving him a smirk before he sighed and looked back at the woman standing across from us.

"Don't worry about it, I just need to borrow your boyfriend here for a little while. It's just some family business but it was nice meeting you" he said, pointing in Sam's direction when he said 'boyfriend'.

"No Dean, whatever you need to say, you can say in front of Jess" he stated, walking over to where his girlfriend stood before wrapping an arm around her waist. I frowned at his response before shaking my head as I realised he wouldn't like what we had to say, before my gaze slipped to Jess and I felt my body freeze and my blood turn cold, sluggishly pumping through my veins. Guilt, pain, nausea and desperation flooded my veins before my blood pumped through my veins at an alarming rate, sending me light headed and I groaned quietly, reaching out to Dean and he quickly gripped my hand, supporting my weight as I leaned into his side. I felt Dean shrug and nod.

"Okay, well it's dad, he hasn't been home in a few days" he stated and Sam frowned before shrugging.

"So, dad is doing overtime on some shift. I'm sure it's nothing" Sam stated, looking as though he believed it. I moved away from leaning into Dean's side to look up at my brother. He looked down at me fondly, but I could see the worry and amusement in his eyes before he turned back to Sam.

"Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a few days" Dean stated more clearly and I saw the understanding dawn on Sam's face before he nodded.

"Sorry Jess, excuse us, we'll be outside" he replied and she looked up at his face before nodding.

"Sure" she replied, kissing his jawline and pulling back to frown worriedly before walking out of the room and back up the stairs, where Dean motioned for us to walk outside of the house, having to support my weight as he did so.

"One of your feelings?" he asked and I sucked in a breath through my teeth before nodding. He never mentioned it, never asked before, so why now?

"And you're not going to tell me right?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Right Dean" I replied firmly and he sighed, before helping me down the steps where he let me lean against the side of the Impala as the dizziness finally dissipated and I could think a lot more clearly, without feeling my blood painfully pound through my body.

I sighed and looked up from the ground, where I had been staring at my feet, willing this to pass to see Sam and Dean both watching me carefully, the worry and concern etched onto Dean's face as Sam looked at me curiously along with worry. He of course knew what I was like after the death of my family as well, though he was never allowed near me. I swallowed and sent Dean a curt nod, to which he let out a breath when he realised I was fine before sighing.

This gave me the perfect opportunity to study Sam, who I could see had grown a few more inches since I last saw him, meaning he now stood at an easy six foot, making him a few inches taller than Dean. I knew from experience that Sam shared a similar eye colour to Dean's however his eye colour was more blue mixed with hazel, than green. Again, another reason I envied the boys, they had beautiful eyes, and it must be a Winchester thing, since John had nice eyes too. Sam's hair had grown out a little as well, so that it curled behind his ears with floppy hair, it suited him actually, and it was still as dark as I remembered it. He wasn't as built as Dean, though he'd been out of action for two years, but he was still lean hinting at the fact that he was fit.

"You can't just pop up and expect me to go with you" Sam stated, sounding frustrated and I snorted a laugh which had both guys looking at me, Sam frowning in confusion and Dean glaring at me in annoyance. I bit my lip and shrugged at him before nodding, telling him I would shut up and let him deal with it before he looked back at Sam.

"You don't get it, dad is missing" Dean emphasised and Sam sighed.

"Yeah so, that's nothing new, remember the Poltergeist at Amhurst or the Devil's Gate at Clifton. He's always missing and he's always fine" the frustration was even more evident in Sam's tone now and I knew he had a point but he also didn't at the time. This time was different, I could feel it in my gut. I huffed and looked back at Sam, focusing my attention on him and shook my head.

"You have a point, he does go missing from time to time, but he's never been gone for this long. So are you coming with us?" I asked and Sam sighed before shaking his head.

"No" he stated firmly and I looked at Dean, my eyebrows high on my head. I knew to expect this but he is so fucking stubborn and doesn't' listen to anything I say. Assbutt!

"And why not?" Dean asked looking surprised. I rolled my eyes silently to myself.

"I swore I was done hunting, for good"

"Come on it wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad" Dean frowned

"Yeah" Sam scoffed, obviously he didn't think so, which I always knew of course, "-when I told him I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45" Sam stated and I frowned, leaning against the car again. I didn't know about that because that was a year before the Winchesters took me in, but I remembered Sam mentioning it the once.

"What was he supposed to say?" Dean exclaimed, I could tell he as a little surprised at what Sam had just said. The guy in question shrugged and looked around, trying to find the words to say before he looked back at Dean.

"I don't know… err don't be afraid of the dark?" he replied but it sounded more like a question and both Dean and I scoffed a laugh.

"Please Sam, you know the kind of crap that's out there" I stated, rolling my eyes at him and Dean waved his hand at me, giving me his support and showing I had a point. Sam just glared at me.

"I was nine years old" he stated and I froze slightly but had to physically bite my tongue to stop myself from saying what I really wanted to say to him. Dean frowned at me and tilted his head before sighing, because he knew me so well he obviously knew what I was thinking. Well at least Sam still had a parent and family when he was nine. When I was that age I just had him, Dean and their dad.

"I know what's out there, but I mean, how we grew up after mom was killed. Trying to find whatever killed her but it never worked so we killed every damn thing we could find instead" Sam sighed and I rolled my eyes.

Here we go, this was the same argument that Sam and John had many times before, especially towards the end when Sam was nineteen, a year before he left to go to Stanford to study Law. Dean and I looked at him in disbelief.

"We've saved a lot of people though" I shrugged and Sam sighed before nodding.

"Yeah I know that" he stated and I rolled my eyes. That was something I always seemed to do whenever Sam was around, mostly because he had left, meaning that Dean and I had to pick up the slack, I mean don't get me wrong, with Sam gone it meant I could help out more, though my help was just through researching the lore and whatnot, but at least I was pulling my weight. Sam, well he obviously lived a nice cushy life, I don't know why but it seriously pissed me off how he acted, it always had done ever since I was nine years old and John had finally sat me down with Sam and Dean and they explained everything to me. But then again, I volunteered to do this life, I happily let John train me up, in fact my own parents- who I learned during that talk- were both Hunters, though my mom stopped after having my sister and I, and because of that I knew basic defence and offence skills, but John helped me build on that, and when he was off working Dean would help while Sam only helped when his brother nagged him to, though we all knew that Dean was more talented physical wise than Sam was, I think that was why Sam was so against the whole thing.

"You think mom would have wanted this for us. The weapon training, and melting the silver into bullets?" Sam asked and I knew he was delivering the 'mom' blow, not that he had ever said this to his father. Or at least not that I could recall. He had a point, we were raised as warriors but no child is ever raised in the same way to their friends, every parent has different parenting skills, it just so happens that our childhood was much different than it would've been if Mary wasn't killed and my family were still alive. Dean shook his head at Sam.

"So what?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders, "-you're going to live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?" he questioned and I sighed. Of course it was right, this was the life that Sam wanted, the life he always dreamed of since I could remember.

"No, not normal. Safe" Sam stated

"So that's hay you ran away?" Dean asked and I winced as Sam scoffed in disbelief. I hadn't thought Dean would pull out the 'running away' card but oh well, it was what we both thought. Sam shook his head.

"All I did was go to college, it was dad who said that if I went then I should stay gone" he said and I could detect a note of hurt in that. I bit my lip and glanced away from Sam to look at Dean who looked, well I didn't know what he looked like because he had his blank expression on his face.

I remembered that conversation though. Sam had applied to go to Stanford because his grades were perfect- the boys and I did online schooling since we couldn't actually go to school- and he had gotten accepted. When he confronted John and told him that he wanted to go to college, well John had a fit and a lot of hurtful things were said. I knew that neither Dean nor myself agreed with half of the things that were said, Sam had a right to go to college, he could've come back when his four years were up, but John basically told him to stay out of our lives. Thinking about it now, I don't know if Sam would've ever come back, maybe John knew that? But I think it was more the fact that John probably didn't want this life for his boys and it was his way of keeping Sam safe, by telling him to stay put, it wasn't a secret that Sam sort of dragged us down by digging his heels in against the whole Hunting aspect of our lives.

"So that's what I'm doing" Sam stated, tacking a shrug onto the end and Dean looked sad a little. They had always been close and had some sort of strong bond, the fact that Sam stayed gone and didn't keep in touch much, except for the occasional phone call every so often, usually we only received phone calls when it was mine or Dean's birthday, as well as at Christmas, the rest of the time, well Sam didn't try to keep in contact and it hurt Dean.

"Yeah well dad's in real trouble now, if he's not dead already, I can feel it" yeah, I knew what Dean meant, I could feel it too. "-and I can't do it alone" Dean stated and I frowned to myself. What the fuck was I? A potted plant?

"Dude" I stated and Dean shrugged at my response.

"Come on sis, like I'm gonna risk you getting hurt"

"Sexist pig" I mumbled but he grinned, obviously hearing me and Sam snorted, gaining Dean's attention again.

"You can do it alone" he stated and Dean looked away.

"Yeah, well maybe I don't want to" he stated and I felt my heart flutter a little, knowing how hurt he must be. Sam sighed, looking defeated and I could tell that he was giving in, which surprised me since I thought he would be adamant in staying here.

"What was he hunting?" he sighed, and I smiled at Dean who I could tell was biting the inside of his cheek to keep the victorious grin from emerging.

Dean signalled Sam to follow him and he did, leading us around to the trunk and popping it open, before lifting up the fabric part, exposing the arsenal we kept here, propping it up with one of the many guns we had.

"Alright then. Where is this thing?" Dean thought allowed as he pushed a few things aside as Sam leant against the side of the trunk, watching Dean as I rolled my eyes at him, he was forgetful sometimes.

"So when dad took off, why didn't you go with him?" Sam asked, sounding confused and I grinned at him.

"Well Dean and I had our own gig, hunting this voodoo thing down in New Orleans"

"Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?" he asked, sounding surprised and I chuckled slightly.

"We had each other, besides Sammy you should know that Dean doesn't have the brain cells to work a lot of things out. I'm his research assistant" I shrugged in response and Sam laughed slightly as Dean smacked me over the back of my head, causing the two of us to chuckle.

"Don't undermine my skills" he frowned and I held my hands up in a surrendering gesture which made him laugh.

"Seriously though, dude I'm twenty six" was Dean's clever response and I snorted earning myself another glare as he continued shuffling through some of the junk in the back of the car.

"Ahh here we go, dad was checking out this two lane black top outside of Jericho, California. This guy" Dean said, handing the piece of paper that contained the article about the missing guy, to Sam who took it off him and glanced at the article "-vanished from his car"

"So maybe it was a kidnapping?" Sam questioned, shrugging. What a douche, he knew this was a sign. Dean sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah maybe, but here's another one in April, December '04, '03, '98, '92 ten of them over the last twenty years" he stated, listing other people who had gone missing throughout the years as a way to convince Sam that there was something happening here. I shrugged and focused on Sam's face.

"It started happening more frequently so John thought he would go and dig around, which was about three weeks ago" I stated and Sam nodded slowly.

"We haven't heard from him since. Which is bad enough, then I received this message on my phone yesterday" Dean stated, playing the recording back so that Sam could listen to it.

"Dean…" the static voice of John Winchester began, "-… something is starting to happen… I think it's bad… I need to figure out... be careful… we might be in danger"

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam asked and I nodded in response

"Well done Sam, kinda like riding a bike right?" Sam smiled and Dean nodded. "So I ran it back and got this" he stated, fiddling with the recorder until the EVP recording started playing.

"I can never go home" came the eerie female voice from the recording.

"Never go home?" Sam questioned, sounding as confused as what Dean and I were when we first heard it.

"You know in almost two years, I haven't bothered you, never asked you for a thing" Dean stated and Sam sighed before nodding, obviously he knew that Dean had a point, and if he said no I was going to punch him right in his pretty face.

"Alright I'll go but I need to be back first thing on Monday. Just wait here" Sam replied.

"What's first thing Monday?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I have… I have an interview" he replied, hesitantly and I nodded slowly.

"What a job interview? Skip it" Sam sighed at Dean's response and I shook my head at him.

"It's an interview, for law school. It's my whole life, on a plate" Sam stated and I rolled my eyes at Dean's dumb response beforehand.

"Alright cool" I replied, cutting off any further responses that Dean would likely throw out and Dean nodded in response before Sam walked off to pack his clothes as Dean and I got into the car.

"I don't think so, back seat lil' sis" Dean said and I turned to glare at him.

"Really? What, now little brother's back I'm downgraded again?" I asked and Dean huffed before rolling his eyes.

"Don't get pissy on me" he retorted and I glared at him.

"Pissy? Jesus Dean you didn't care that I had shotgun when Sam wasn't here" I replied and Dean shuck his head at me, causing me to snort, a bad habit that had worsened over the years.

"Fine whatever" I replied, climbing out of the passenger seat and slamming the door before hopping into the back, where I clipped my seatbelt on and removed my iPod from my duffle, plugging the earbuds into my ears and turning on my shuffle full blast as a way to block out Dean's dickness. God he pissed me off and I couldn't help but feel a little let down. Since Sam went off to college two years ago, Dean and I were inseparable, to the point where neither of us could concentrate if we weren't with the other; hence the reason John let me follow Dean around so we could work cases, instead of me staying with John so I could 'learn' from him. But now that Sam was back, I was shoved to the back again. I may be Dean's sister, but I would never measure up to Sam, which was fine with me, I just wished Sam and I were more equal in Dean's eyes. I was aware that Dean was looking at me through the rear-view but I didn't look up, not even when Sam shut the door behind him and placed his duffle into the backseat next to me, I just kept my eyes trained on the outside through the window. I saw Dean shaking his head out of the corner of my eye before he put the car into forward and we drove off, away from Stanford and where Sam had spent the last couple of years of his life.

We pulled into a gas station outside Jericho since we were running low on fuel. Sam had just woken up in the front seat and I'd been awake for about two hours, this job meant that I was an early riser, even if I went to sleep late. Dean had hopped out of the car about ten minutes ago to fill the tank and get some food for all of us. He hadn't tried talking to me at all since I woke up this morning and I didn't care, but he probably knew I was still pissed at him, but in my defence I thought I had a right to be. Maybe I was just having a teenage tantrum, whatever I didn't care.

Sam groaned from the front seat and I rolled my eyes at him, before going back to looking out of the window.

"Hey" he said, voice still slightly gruff from sleep. I sighed and turned towards him, seeing he was looking at me through the rear mirror. I nodded back stiffly.

"Hey, sleep okay?" I replied and he smiled before nodding and opening the car, to let some air in, though I realised he was playing with something on his lap. I saw Dean emerge from the shop, holding food through the rear window and guessed he had probably asked Sam if he wanted some food. Sam snorted.

"No thanks, besides how do you pay for it. You still running credit card scams?" he asked and I snorted in response, knowing Dean would say something along the lines of, 'well Hunting isn't exactly the best paying job' or something like that.

"So, what names did you put on the credit cards this time?" Sam asked, before turning around in his seat to face out of the windscreen and I saw Dean making his way over to the driver's seat, but I tuned out as he hopped into the front, the car rocking slightly with his movement as he pulled out food.

"Dude you've gotta update your cassette tape collection" Sam stated and I frowned at him.

"Why?" Dean asked and I knew that whatever Sam said next would probably offend both Dean and myself, he had never liked John's sort of music anyway.

"Well for one, they're cassette tapes, secondly Back Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica? It's the greatest hits of mullet rock" Sam replied and I rolled my eyes at him as Dean smirked.

"House rule Sammy, driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole" Dean replied, taking one of the tapes out of the box and inserting it into the tape player as Sam sighed.

"And Sammy is the name of a chubby twelve year old, it's Sam okay?" he stated as AC/DC's Back In Black started playing and I grinned at Dean as he started nodding his head to the song, the song drowning out his last few words.

"Sorry Sammy, I can't hear you over the music" he replied, sounding a little cocky and I smiled slightly as we listened to the music, driving for a while until I thought of something.

"Should we check the hospitals? See if he's turned up in one of those around here?" I asked and Dean glanced at me through the rear-view mirror before nodding.

"That's not a bad idea Ali. Sam do you want to deal with that?" he asked and Sam nodded before taking his phone out of his pocket and dialling up some number, probably an operator or someone to get the number of the nearest hospital here.

"Alright, so they have no one matching dad's description at the hospital or morgue, so that's something I guess" Sam said after a while and he'd snapped his phone shut.

"Check it out" Dean stated, pointing through the windscreen as we drove passed a bridge where a handful of cops milled around a car that had been left in the middle of the road. Dean stopped the car and reached for the box where we kept our ID's before extracting Fed ID's.

"Let's go" he grinned to a shocked, slightly worried looking Sam before climbing out of the car. I went to get out too and Dean shook his head.

"You can stay in the car missy" he said, before slamming the door shut and walking off, leaving me to glare after the two of them. Assholes!

I watched them walk over to the cops and exchange a few words before Sam stepped on his foot and they walked away before Dean hit him over the head. I rolled my eyes at the two of them, able to make them out easily through the window. An older cop approached them and they exchanged a few more words before walking back over to the car where they climbed back in and Dean started driving again, where I guessed we were heading into town.

"What did the cops say?" I asked, talking to the back of their heads, this was what I hated two years ago as well. Dean sighed but Sam turned in his seat.

"Another guy, a teenager. He was local, they found his car there this morning" I nodded slowly. Another attack then.

"Cool, so what's the plan?" I asked and Sam turned to Dean questioningly who shrugged.

"We find the Vic's girlfriend and talk to her" Dean stated and I nodded in response, happy with that plan as he drove us further into town.

Dean parked outside of a diner when we entered the town and we all climbed out of the car, surveying the area before searching for the girl.

"Okay so Sam and I will go and grab the girl, we'll meet you in the diner" Dean stated, nodding his head in the direction of the diner. I bit my tongue so as not to argue, this wasn't the time for my pettiness, we had a job to work and their dad to find. Instead I nodded and we went our separate ways. I found a table and ordered a coffee for myself while I waited. I hated coffee but it would keep me awake until the boys came back with the girl.

It wasn't long until they walked in and I nodded, signalling them to walk over to me which they did, Sam and Dean slid into the booth next to me as two girls sat opposite us. The waitress came over and they ordered some drinks.

"This is Ali, she's a family friend" Sam introduced me and I sent the girl a small smile before outstretching my hand. She took it and we gripped hands before pulling away.

"I'm Amy" she replied and I nodded.

"Hi, I wish we could've met under better circumstances" I replied and she nodded.

"Yeah me to"

"So Amy, can you tell us what happened?" I asked her, cradling my mug of coffee and she sighed but nodded.

"I was on the phone with Troy, he was trying to get home. He said he would call me right back and he never did."

"He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?" Sam asked and the girl, Amy sighed before shaking her head.

"No, not that I can remember" she replied and I could tell that she was a little shaken up. I bit my lip as I nodded before my eyes found her neck.

"I like your necklace" Sam pointed out and I smiled at the fact that we had noticed it at the same time. It was a pentagram.

"Thanks" she smiled, "-Troy gave it to as a way to scare my parents with all that devil crap" she replied, holding the necklace in her fingers and looking down at it.

"Actually it mean just the opposite. A pentagram offers protection against evil, really powerful" I stated and Amy frowned at me slightly as Sam shifted in his seat a little.

"Well if, you believe that crap" he replied and I looked up at him before we smiled and turned back to Amy. I saw Dean glance at us momentarily.

"Alright, thank you for that. Listen ladies, the way Troy disappeared? It's not right, so if you've heard anything…?" he said, trailing off and Amy and her friend exchanged a look.

"What?" Sam asked

"Well it's just with these guys going missing, people talk" Amy's friend said

"What do they talk about?" Dean and Sam asked at the same time and the girl frowned.

"Well it's just this girl apparently got murdered out on Centennial. They say she's still out there. She hitchhikes and whoever picks her up, well they go missing forever" she replied and the three of us exchanged a glance before I turned back to the girls and nodded.

"Thanks for your help you two" I smiled and they nodded back.

"And I'm really sorry about Troy, I didn't know him that well compared to the rest of you but I'm sure he was great and is a big loss. Hopefully the cops will find something, and we will be in town a little longer if there is anything you need" I finished and Amy smiled at me.

"Thanks, we should get going now" she replied and I nodded.

"It was nice meeting you, and don't worry, we'll pay for this" I said and she smiled before getting to her feet, her friend following after her and we watched them walk out of the diner. Dean slid out and sat opposite us as I frowned in thought.

"So what next? Do we find some information out on this girl?" I asked and the boys looked at me before nodding.

"Yeah I think that's our best bet, that way we know what we are dealing with" Dean stated and I nodded, before taking some cash out of my purse and leaving it on the table for the waitress to collect before we walked out of the diner and climbed into the Impala.

"The library" I stated and Dean nodded, before pulling out of the space and driving towards the library which was about a minute away from the diner, probably two minutes if we'd walked it. No wonder the gas gets used up so quickly because Dean is such a lazy ass whenever he gets the opportunity.

We walked into the library, which was quiet like they are supposed to be and headed in the direction of the few computers dotted at the back of the room. Sam and Dean took up the chairs in front of the computer and I was forced to stand behind them and lean on the back of their chairs while Dean searched for any articles relating to Centennial, which we knew was the highway where the accidents had been happening.

The search results relating to 'female, centennial, hitchhiker, murder' brought nothing up and I could tell it was bugging Sam, the impatient shit.

"Let me" he said and Dean slapped his hands away like a kid who was trying to steal his candy. Sam huffed a sigh before pushing Dean's chair out of the way and I let out a startled gasp as I almost lost my balanced as Dean shot Sam an annoyed look, which was ignored as Sam thought closely.

"Dude, such a control freak" Dean huffed and I grinned as Sam smiled slightly.

"So if angry spirits are born out of violent deaths, maybe it wasn't a murder?" Sam asked, before replacing the word 'murder' with 'suicide' and searching. One result popped up and Sam clicked on it, bringing up and article on a woman named Constance.

"This was in 1981, Constance Welch was 24 years old. It says she jumped off the bridge out on centennial" Sam explained and I leaned closer to the side of his head but my eyes were hurting and the computer was a little out of date so the screen was fuzzy from where I was standing.

"Did it say why she jumped?" I asked and Sam nodded.

"Yeah it says that she phoned up 911 an hour before they found her. She told the police that she left her two children in the bath tub, she was gone for a minute and when she came back they weren't breathing" he explained and I bit my lip before nodding slowly as Sam scrolled down a little further before finding a picture of a guy.

"'Our babies were gone, and Constance just couldn't take it' says husband Joseph Welch" Sam read from the article, who I realised was the picture of the guy shielding his face from the camera. He looked distraught, or that's what I made of his body language.

"So should we go and check out the bridge?" I asked the boys, seeing that the bridge looked familiar to the one we passed earlier today and they turned to look at me before Dean nodded.

"That's an idea" he said, getting to his feet, where I took a step backwards to allow Sam to get up easily and we headed out of the library and to the Impala, climbing in to the seats so that Dean could drive us up the bridge. There was no point in putting any music on so we drove in silence, something that I wasn't used to. Dean, John and I always made conversation even when Sam was here, but I had a feeling that Dean would much rather have an awkward silence in the car than make conversation with me and risk making Sam feeling left out. He was a good brother like that, but I don't know why he was so eager to have Sam stay with us, I knew it wouldn't happen and deep down Dean knew that too.

I shifted in my seat slightly as my hands started to shake again and I saw Dean look at me through the rear-view, his eyes full of worry.

"Roll the window down please?" I asked in a quiet voice and he nodded before doing that and I moved closer to the window, allowing the cool air to brush across my flushed skin, hopefully it would quell the queasiness in my stomach too. This was happening far too often for my liking lately, and knowing Dean he would pull me up on it at some point which would lead to a short argument between us, because I never told him anything.

It didn't take long to get to the bridge, but it was spent in silence, with Dean flashing me concerned glances and me trying to keep myself calm as my hands started shaking more violently, but he didn't notice of course because I kept them pressed between my thighs, out of his eyesight. I didn't need him pointlessly worrying about me.

Dean shut the car off and we climbed out of the car, the doors slamming behind us, the sound echoing eerily around us and I winced slightly, before waking over to the side of the bridge and looking down into the murky waters. Even I could tell how filthy the water was, and there wasn't much light to see by. I shivered as a breeze blew across my face, but it wasn't the pleasant sort of breeze and it didn't help that I was looking down at quite a drop. Shit, I hated heights.

"Easy" Dean whispered to me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders where he pulled me away from the edge. He knew how heights scared the shit out of me, hence the reason I was usually working on the ground if Dean or John needed to go on roofs of high buildings. I would probably blow chunks down on whatever creature there was below us, and therefore end up blowing our cover.

"So this is where Constance took a swan dive?" Dean asked aloud and I looked up to him where we smirked at each other, and I shook my head afterwards at his joke considering this was a serious case. They always were but that didn't stop him from making jokes to keep the mood light.

"So, do you think dad would have been here?" Sam asked and Dean and I pulled away from each other to look at Sam and I shrugged.

"Well it's quite likely. If he was chasing this story and we're all chasing him. At some point the case would've brought him here to check it out" I shrugged in response and Dean nodded along with me, obviously agreeing with what I had said.

"Okay, good to know. What now?" Sam asked and I looked at Dean, he always had the plan. Well after we had sorted out the lore of course.

"Well now we keep digging, until we find him" Dean replied and I frowned in response

"They may take a while though" I pointed out, sighing at the end of my statement and Dean frowned as I was aware that Sam had stopped walking behind us.

"Guys I told you I have be back by Monday" Sam said and we turned around to look at him, making me sigh and Dean to frown.

"Right the interview, got it. You're serious about this then?" he asked and Sam shrugged in a 'do you really need to ask?' kind of way. Dean sighed and knew he was disappointed, I told him not to get his hopes up.

"So what Sam? Are you gonna become some big shot lawyer? Marry your girlfriend?" I asked and Sam shrugged.

"Possibly, why not?" was his response and I sighed. What was so special about a normal life? Normal lives were boring, they didn't have the excitement and adventure that being a Hunter did. Though of course with this life there was always the risk of getting killed but that was a price we had to pay.

"Does Jessica know about you? About the things you've done?" Dean asked and I snorted in response. I didn't even need Sam to reply.

"Of course not Dean. Didn't you see how surprised she was when we were there? I bet you hardly talk about your family, right Sammy?" I asked and he glared at me. I nodded in response and held my hands up in surrender.

"My point exactly"

"Well it's nothing to do with you Ali, or you Dean and she won't ever know" he replied firmly and Dean shook his head.

"Yeah because that's a healthy relationship right there" he said sarcastically and my lips twitched into a smile.

"You have to face it at some point Sammy. You need to give in to who you really are sometime" I replied with a shrug. Sam stared at me questioningly.

"And who would that be?" he asked me, lifting his eyebrows. I knew that look that was his challenging look that he did when he was pushing you to tell him something that he either already knew, or knew that it would piss him off.

"You're one of us dude" Dean replied simply and Sam rushed over to his brother, standing right in front of him. I sighed, realising how hard life had been with both brothers here. Sam was always so rebellious and Dean had to try and work his ass off enough for two people most time, though Sam was still a good Hunter, he just chose not to bother.

"No, I'm nothing like you. This won't be my life" Sam stated and I rolled my eyes at them before backing away slightly, my gut twisting uncomfortably as my gaze roamed the area, leaving the guys to it, though I kept an ear trained on them, curious as to how this conversation would carry on.

"Look Sam, you have a duty-" Dean began but Sam quickly interrupted him. He obviously didn't want to hear this.

"To what Dean? To dad and his crusade? Jesus, if it wasn't for pictures I wouldn't even know what mom looked like" he has a point there, at least I could vaguely remember bits and pieces of how my parents and sister looked and smelled like.

"Besides it wouldn't make a difference. Mom is dead Dean, and she isn't coming back" shit, that wasn't good, and I knew that a moment later when I heard some sort of scuffle behind me. I turned on my heel and saw that Dean had gripped Sam by the collars of his shirt and was holding him against the railings of the bridge. I had a split second to worry about whether the railings were sturdy enough as a breeze blew around me again.

"Don't talk about mom like that" Dean said as I turned and saw a woman standing on the edge, looking ready to jump.

"Guys" I stated and heard Sam swear behind me before we started moving slowly over to her, just as she gave herself to the wind, flying to the waters below.

"Fudge" I said, digging my heels into the ground, but by the time I'd approached there was no sign of her. She'd simply vanished. The guys slowed to a stop next to me and I shook my head at them, telling them that there was no sign of her.

I frowned as I heard a car start up before the three of us looked over at the Impala, seeing that the headlights were on.

"Who's driving your car?" Sam asked, sounding as confused as I felt as Dean dug his hand into the front pocket of his jeans and dangled the keys, which Sam glanced at momentarily. Oh hell no! The car revved and the tyres squealed as it started driving forwards.

"Shit, go, go!" Dean exclaimed and we all turned, running for the end of the bridge with the car gaining on our heels.

"Crap" I huffed, digging my heels in further but the headlights were making our shadows on the ground smaller. It was gaining on us and unless we wanted to be road kill well the only thing would be to jump. I noticed Sam and Dean heading in the direction of the bridge and I followed, jumping over and catching myself on the underside of the bridge, gripping it and gritting my teeth as gravity pulled my body down, while I held my body weight upwards. The muscles in my arms strained momentarily and suddenly the bridge fell quiet. I glanced to my left to see Sam hanging there and he looked at me, both of us nodding telling the other to climb up.

I hooked my leg over the railing and hoisted myself up, Sam doing the same so that we could sit on the ledge of the bridge, leaning against the posts and catching our breaths. The car was parked a few yards away from us, looking the same as it had a few minutes ago. With a frown I started looking around for Dean before glancing down at the murky waters. Shit no!

"Dean! DEAN!" I screamed down into the waters. My heart sped up in my chest and my palms became sweaty, making my hands slick and it harder for me to keep my grip on the railings below me. Sam placed his hand on my shin.

"Dean" we yelled at the same time, once more. Oh please god, don't let something as stupid as jumping off a bridge kill him. Please!

"What?" came Dean's pissed off voice as he dragged himself out of the murky water, the filth covering him, making him blend in easy with the mud. I let out a sigh of relief. Thank fuck for that! I couldn't lose him. He was all I had left, because I knew Sam wouldn't stay if something happened to Dean, he had his life back in California, going to law school and with his girlfriend. He wouldn't give that up. Hell I probably wouldn't either.

"Hey you okay?" Sam called down and Dean flopped down on his back before holding up his thumb and forefinger in the 'ok' sign.

"Super" he groaned and Sam laughed, sounding relieved, but I was annoyed that he had made me panic for those few, small seconds.

"You assbutt, don't scare me like that" I yelled down to my brother as he heaved himself up onto his feet. I could imagine him either chuckling to himself and teasing me about my fondness of him later, or him grabbing me into a hug. I was going for the former, Dean wasn't the touchy feely kind of guy, but it made him who he was. Sam squeezed my shin and we slid off the side onto the bridge where I pressed my hands against my thighs as my head spun. I fucking hated heights!

It didn't take long for Dean to find his way back up to the top of bridge and when he did he looked pissed off. Then again if some ghost had jacked my car then drove it intending to kill me, meaning I had to jump of the bridge and be covered in muck, well I would be pissed off too. He had instantly headed for the car and lifted the hood up to check the engine and whatnot.

"She okay?" I asked him, knowing how much he loved the Impala and Dean sighed before slamming the hood.

"Whatever happened, she seems fine now. Ugh that Constance chick. What a bitch!" he replied, yelling the word bitch so that it echoed, probably in the hopes of pissing the ghost off. Dean wasn't too smart in that way.

"Well she didn't want us digging around that's for sure" I stated as Sam and Dean sat down next to each other on the hood, but I stood opposite Sam away from the stench that Dean was at the moment.

"So what's the plan genius?" Sam asked and Dean huffed before throwing his hands in the air in frustration before bringing them down to his lap where he stared at them in disgust and flicked off a bit of the muck. I was glad at that moment that I'd chosen to stand in front of Sam, but I'd had a feeling Dean would do something like that. It was only a normal reaction when covered in gunk, trying to flick the shit off. I gagged at the smell which made Sam sniff before he shivered a little and looked at Dean.

"Dude you smell like a toilet" he stated and I coughed a laugh which made Sam grin at me and Dean to glare at the two of us. I shrugged in response.

"Sorry Dean, but Sam has a point. You smell so awful that I want to puke" I shrugged easily and my brother groaned before we climbed into the car and I gagged. The smell was bad sitting in the backseat so I felt bad for Sam sitting in the front.

"Dude roll the bloody windows down. You're suffocating me here" I gagged and Dean huffed before rolling the windows down and Sam and I popped our heads out of the windows and sucked in some fresh air before I started laughing at the fact that we had thought of doing the same thing.

"Drive on then" I rolled my eyes at the back of Dean's head and waved my hand telling him to hurry up.

"When did you get so demanding?" he sighed and shook his head at me and I smirked.

"You should know that people with vaginas are demanding my dear brother. You've fucked enough of them" I shrugged and both Sam and Dean snorted a laugh, Sam mostly out of surprise. Well I wasn't the same innocent kid that I was two years ago when he last saw me.

"You've grown some balls Ali" he stated and I shrugged.

"Well someone had to step into your awfully big shoes" I stated and Sam went quiet. Dean glared at me through the mirror but I shrugged and turned my face into the fresh breeze coming through the window as Dean drove us to the nearest motel, where we soon pulled in and the guys climbed out while I gathered our bags, knowing we would get a room because there was no sign up announcing that there were no more rooms left.

I leaned against the side of the Impala, something I always did since Dean always asked for a twin room and it was weird having to tell the workers that we didn't want a single, queen sized bed because weren't a couple that we were practically siblings. I didn't want them getting the wrong idea; it just saved a lot of pointless questions. The only problem was that it would cost too much to get two rooms, and we needed more than a double room with there being three of us, then again I didn't sleep much at night anyway so I suppose that wasn't too much of a problem. I'd just bunk with Dean. He wouldn't mind. I saw the boys conversing with the guy in reception before they left and Dean motioned me over with a hand, which made Sam frown at us in confusion. I shook my head at him.

"Don't ask, it's a bad habit now" I replied, looking back at Dean's face which looked strange.

"'sup?" I asked him as we walked side-by-side.

"Dad was here" Sam answered my question when it became clear Dean was a little too shocked to answer.

"Really?" I asked and Sam nodded, which made me smile. Maybe this meant we were that much closer to finding him?

"That's great" I replied and Sam smiled at me as Dean stopped at a door where Sam bent down to pick the lock using the kit he always used to carry with him. Apparently he hadn't gotten rid of it, it must've come in handy for picking locks to the staff doors in Stanford, not that Sam would do that, he was the angel compared to Dean and myself. Dean and I stood look out as Sam straightened up and swung the door inwards before stepping inside and flicking the light on. I followed him through before turning and seeing that Dean was still stood outside just as Sam grabbed his brother's shoulder and pulled him in, so I swung the door shut behind him and turned to face the motel room that John had been renting out since he arrived here.

Every surface, the walls, tables, even parts of the bed were covered in newspaper articles, photos and notes tacked up, with pieces of paper and books scattered around elsewhere. I walked over to the wall and looked at the pictures, knowing straight away that these men had been Constance's victims. I turned around to see Dean walk over to the bed where half of a hamburger sat and he picked it up before sniffing it and making a face before returning it to where it had once been, trust him to head straight for the food, as Sam crouched next to the bed and dipped his finger into something before sighing as Dean started talking.

"Well judging by things, it looks like he hasn't been back here in a few days" he stated and I nodded in agreement. The hamburger was off for one so it must have been a few days and Sam sighed before looking up at us and I moved, seeing that there was a circle of salt on the floor.

"salt… cats eye shells" Sam listed and I frowned before realisation dawned and I nodded at the younger brother.

"He was worried" I stated and Sam nodded in agreement.

"Looks like he was trying to keep something out" I frowned at his response, the only thing that a salt circle worked against that I knew of was mostly ghosts, among other things. I turned back to the wall.

"What's that?" Sam asked and I frowned.

"The victims" I stated, my eyes scanning over the pictures and the names of the men who had died over the years as I felt Dean's presence on my right.

"Different men, all different ages and ethnicities" he frowned and I shrugged in response.

"They must all be linked in some way" I stated and he nodded. There had to be some sort of link if John believed they were all part of the case. I heard Sam walk over to us, by the sound of his weight moving over the floor and he stood on my left, looking at the wall just like Dean and I were.

Light flickered into the room and I turned to see that Sam had just turned on another lamp before my eyes landed on the Constance Welch article and I frowned before Sam smiled slightly.

"Dad figured it out" he stated and I blinked before looking up at him, since I only made it to just above here his nipples would be. He was a lanky guy though.

"What?" Dean asked and Sam pointed to the article where it said that she had committed suicide.

"Dad figured it out. Constance was a woman in white" he stated and I nodded in response as Dean snorted.

"Sly dogs" he replied and I saw him smirking at the photos. I made a noise in the back of my throat.

"Men" I huffed, throwing my hands in the air, "-you can't keep it in your pants" I sighed, but glared in particular at Dean which made him glare back as Sam laughed from behind me and I smirked at my brother.

"Well this time you can be the bait" I grinned and he glared at me as Sam snorted a laugh from behind us.

"Why's that? I don't have a girlfriend, Sam does" Dean replied and I glared at him.

"Yeah well Sam didn't make me parade around as a prostitute last year did he?" I asked and Sam stared at Dean.

"You did what?" he asked and Dean shrugged.

"Well I'm too manly to be a prostitute"

"There are male prostitutes too you airhead" I huffed. I still wasn't over that and Sam sighed before shaking his head at the two of us.

"Dude really?"

"What? She was eighteen last year. She's an adult" Dean defended himself and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm still planning ways to get you back for that" I replied, before turning to look back at the case that John had plastered over the walls as I saw Dean smirk at me, we both knew I couldn't pull pranks as well as he and Sam could, but their pranks were hilarious since they played them on each other. I had never gotten involved because that would mean I would have to prank them back, and I sucked at that sort of stuff.

"Okay so, John would've found Constance's body and burned it if it is a woman in white we are dealing with" I stated and the boys nodded until Sam looked at me and shrugged.

"Unless she had another weakness" he stated and I bit my lip as I thought that over. Sam had a point there; ghosts could attach themselves to anything that had sentimental value. It didn't just have to be their corpse.

"Well dad would've wanted to check and make sure" Dean nodded to himself and I smiled in agreement.

"So…" I began.

"…well if I was dad I'd go talk to the husband" Sam stated and I grinned at him.

"Exactly what I was thinking you lanky shit" I replied and Sam glared at me, but I playfully reached up and petted his head fondly before backing off, worried that he would do something as payback. He just smiled and shook his head at me instead as Dean laughed slightly.

"If he's still alive that is" Sam sighed and I looked at the article which stated he had been twenty-five, so he should be around sixty-four now. If my calculations were correct.

"Well unless he had some sort of accident then he should be, he's only sixty-four" I shrugged and Sam nodded before Dean took a deep breath.

"Okay, you two see if you can find an address while I go clean this shit off me" Dean said and I nodded before heading over to my duffle and pulling out my beautiful laptop. Okay so I was attached, but it was the only thing I would not leave behind if I had to run. I booted it up as Sam shifted his weight uneasily.

"Hey Dean?" he called and Dean paused on his way to the bathroom before looking back at Sam who sighed.

"Look about what I said about mom and dad? I'm sorry" he replied and Dean snorted, holding his hands up.

"Dude no chick flick moments" he said and I smiled at the two of them as Sam huffed a laugh.

"Alright then. Jerk" he said and Dean grinned.

"Bitch" he replied before disappearing into the bathroom as I perched myself on the chair and placed my feet onto the table, settling my laptop on my lap as Sam walked over to me, frowning before removing something from the mirror beside me. I glanced up as the internet booted up and saw a rosary hanging from the mirror which I took down and held in my hands, knowing instantly that this was John's. I had a similar one in my duffle that had belonged to my father. Sam smiled sadly down at something he held in his hands before setting it on the table next to me. John was sitting on the hood of the Impala with a blonde haired boy sitting next to him, wearing a baseball cap. I smiled at the image of a young Dean, while the younger Sam sat on John's lap. They looked happy, something I hadn't seen for a while.

"We all miss you, you know" I stated feeling the need to say it even if Sam didn't want to hear it. He sighed and took up the other free chair, sitting next to me since I still had my feet kicked up on the desk, but the rosary now lay on my lap and keyboard. Sam shrugged at me but didn't say anything.

"I just needed to tell you" I sighed, looking away from him as his hand found mine and he wrapped his fingers around my own. I gripped his fingers back tightly.

"I miss you too" he sighed and I leaned my head against the back of the chair.

"So why don't you keep in contact more? Sammy I know you John never saw eye-to-eye, but Dean is your brother. And while he is good at showing it I know him well enough that he doesn't like how far apart the two of you have grown. But don't tell him I told you, there are things that he doesn't want either of us to know, and that's one thing" I replied and Sam smiled sadly at me before looking away.

"It's just hard you know? I mean we all have our lives, which are completely different and I don't want this life" he stated and I smiled at him before nodding.

"I know Sammy, I know. And we both want you to be happy, but it wouldn't kill you to spontaneously call us up once in a while for a chat when you're not busy" I shrugged and Sam smiled slightly before shaking his head.

"Yes Ali, sorry Ali" he replied and I grinned before squeezing his fingers.

"That's a good boy" I sent him a wink and he glared at me.

"Are you calling me a dog?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Well you do look a little like a shaggy dog with that hairdo" I shrugged and he snorted a laugh. I laughed with him for a moment, "-it suits you though, don't worry" he grinned at me and grabbed my laptop off me, making me whimper.

"Don't hurt my baby, or I'll hurt your balls" I stated and he winced before nodding.

"Got it" I laughed at him.

I had my iPod in, blasting some music that I wasn't really listening to as I sat on John's bed, watching Sam pace back and forth while holding his phone to his ear as he listened to some recording before he sat down on the edge of the bed. I frowned at him and removed one of my buds just as Dean walked out of the bathroom. He looked much better since he was now clean and didn't smell like a sewer.

"Dude I'm starving so I'm gonna get some food. You want anything?" he asked Sam, who just shook his head.

"Naah I'm fine"

"You sure, Aframian's buying" Dean replied, referring to the names we had purchased the cards under and Sam shook his head again, continuing to listen to the recording on his phone. I had a feeling it was from his girlfriend.

"Ali?" Dean asked me and I shrugged.

"Anything edible dude" I replied and he grinned but nodded as he pulled his jacket on and left walked out of the room to get food, which was good because I was starving as well.

Sam listened to the message for a few more minutes before taking the phone away from his ear and pressing a button.

"What?" he said into the phone, and I knew it was Dean on the other end. Something must be up.

"What about you?" Sam asked, standing up as he did so before nodding and ending the call, placing the phone in his pocket before walking over to the window. I followed him and saw the cops from the bridge there.

"Shit" I sighed and Sam sent me a grimace in the form of a smile before he nodded.

"Come on, Dean wants us to carry on and find dad" he sighed and I nodded before I stuffed my laptop into my duffle and zipped it shut, grabbing Dean's as I did so and Sam frowned at me, so I sighed.

"Force of habit, besides the crap on my laptop will make it easy for them to find out who we are, as well as think we are complete psychopaths with the history I have on there" I sighed, shaking my head and Sam nodded, leading us over to the back exit, which was basically the window. He climbed out first and I passed the bags down to him, which he caught swiftly.

"Come on Ali" he whispered shouted and I nodded, boosting myself up and sliding my legs through just like he had, before I dropped down and his arms instantly encompassed me before setting me on my feet. I smiled up at him.

"Thanks" he nodded in response and we waited for two minutes before walking around to the front of the motel, seeing Dean in the back of a cop car which drove off as two officers emerged from the room we had just been occupying moments ago. Sam and I looked at each other and I knew he was thinking the same as me, that it was a close call.

When the officers disappeared, we hurried over to the Impala and dumped the stuff in the back before Sam climbed into the driver's seat and I climbed into the passenger seat. Sam shifted the car into drive and we sped out of the car park, probably towards the address we had found about an hour ago of where Joseph Welch now lived.

We pulled up outside the house, which, to put it politely, looked like a shithole. It was a shack and the windows were covered in grime. They needed a good clean. I sighed and Sam and I exchanged a glance before we nodded and climbed out, walking up to the chain link fence that surrounded the door. Sam reached forwards and knocked on the door, as I looked through the grimy window housed in the door and saw movement.

The door swung inwards to reveal a man, about the same height as me. He looked a little scruffy with a slightly bulging gut. I shifted my weight to my right leg.

"Hi, are you Joseph Welch?" Sam asked and the man frowned.

"Yeah?" he replied and Sam and I smiled slightly at each other.

"We need to ask you a few questions if that's okay?" I asked him, sounding as polite as I possibly could. The guy sighed before nodding and motioning us to follow him around the side of the house, which I was thankful for because I had a feeling the inside of the house would be a shithole as well.

"Have you seen this man?" Sam asked, handing Joseph Welch the picture that he had found in John's motel room. Joseph took the photo off Sam and studied it before nodding.

"Yeah, well he was a little older but that's him" he replied, handing the photo back to Sam and I felt hope bubble up in my chest.

"He came by about three or four days ago, said he was a reporter" Joseph stated and I nodded.

"Yeah that's right, we're working on a story" I stated and Joseph frowned.

"What all three of you?" he asked, seemingly suspicious.

"Yeah, well I'm a junior writer, just tagging along to see how things work and how to write articles, do interviews and whatnot" I stated and Sam looked at me, obviously impressed at how quickly I'd thought that up.

"Well I don't know what kinda story you're writing, the kind of questions he asked me?" Joseph said, and I could sense he was a little pissed.

"About your wife, Constance?" Sam asked, wanting to make it clear, and Joseph nodded.

"He asked me where she was buried"

"And where was that again?"

"Do I have to go over this again?" Joseph asked, sounding a little weary.

"I'm sorry Mr Welch, it's so we can check the facts we have are correct. As long as you don't mind?" I asked and Joseph sighed but nodded.

"She's buried in a plot, at the back of my old place at Breckenridge" he stated and we both nodded.

"So why did you move?" I asked carefully and Joseph sighed.

"You really think I wanted to stay in the place where my children died?" he said and I sent him a small smile before nodding apologetically as Sam stopped walking, making both myself and Joseph stop too.

"Mr Welch, did you ever marry again?" Sam asked and Joseph shook his head.

"No way. Constance… she was the love of my life. The prettiest woman I'd ever seen" he stated and I frowned, tilting my head to the side.

"So you had a happy marriage?" Sam asked and I frowned as Joseph hesitated before nodding.

"Of course" Liar.

"Well thank you for your time. That should be all we need" Sam replied and I smiled politely at Joseph as Sam and I turned to walk back towards where we had parked the Impala before Sam froze and turned to face Joseph again.

"Mr Welch, have you ever heard of a woman in white?" Sam asked and I frowned at him, nudging his side in a way that Joseph hopefully wouldn't notice. Sam shook his head at me, just a twitch of his head, telling me to stay quiet because he had a reason for asking this.

"A what?" came the reply and I sighed. Why was Sam asking this? Like Joseph would really know, most normal people weren't knowledgeable on supernatural crap like we were.

"A woman in white, or sometimes called weeping woman?" Sam asked again and Joseph just stared at us blankly. I knew he wouldn't have an idea as to what it was. Sam sighed before continuing.

"It's a ghost story, well more of a phenomenon really" he stated and I lifted my eyebrows at him, since he seemed to be stalling though I knew he wasn't, but Sam wasn't giving up, instead he slowly started walking back to Joseph so I followed behind him.

"They are the spirits of a female. They've been sighted for dozens of years, in different places like Mexico, Hawaii, lately Arizona and Indiana" I stated, backing Sam up on what he was saying as Sam stood in front of Joseph, while I stood to the side of them.

"I don't care much for nonsense" Joseph stated, before walking around Sam but we quickly hurried after him. He wasn't getting away from us, but I think I knew now as to why Sam was telling Joseph.

"Well these women, when they were alive that is, there husbands were unfaithful to them" I pointed out, recalling the momentary hesitation there was when Joseph lied about having a happy marriage. That didn't happen unless you were lying and one was having an affair. Looking at the facts of the case, I was guessing that it wasn't Constance who was unfaithful. I noticed that Joseph had stopped, with his back still to us.

"Right" Sam nodded, sending me an appreciative smile. Hey I took over his job when he left after all.

"Well these women, suffering from temporary insanity over what their husbands had done, murdered their children" Sam stated and I winced at how blunt he sounded. This was sure to scare off the man in front of us, who whirled around to face Sam and myself. I decided to cut in.

"Well after the women realised what they'd done, they killed themselves out of grief and guilt. And afterwards their spirits wandered back roads and waterways because they were cursed. They searched for unfaithful men and killed them" I stated, though tried to make my tone as nice as possible, I didn't want to sound too blunt like Sam had. I was aware that he wanted this case to be over with so that he could go though.

"You think… you think this has something to do with Constance? You smartasses!" he replied, face red while his body shook slightly, but I wasn't sure whether it was from anger or guilt. Probably a mixture of the two though. Sam and I sighed before I shrugged.

"You tell us Sir" was my reply and Joseph became visibly angry.

"Look maybe I… maybe I made some mistakes. But Constance would never… never kill her own children. You hear me? Now get the hell off my property" he said, before turning on his heel and walking back into his house. Sam and I sighed, before looking at each other and making our way back to car, where we climbed in and Sam drove off.

"I knew he was lying about the happy marriage thing" I sighed and Sam nodded.

"So we do have a woman in white then" he stated and I nodded before Sam handed me his phone. I took it off him, eyebrows raised questioningly and he grinned at me.

"We need to make a phone call to give Dean some time to get out of there" he stated and I grinned in response.

"Well I'm your girl" I replied before typing the emergency number into Sam's phone and listening to the operator where I asked for the police. A click announced I was put through.

"How can I help?" the male voice at the other end asked politely and I breathed heavily.

"There's… there are shots coming from down the street" I whispered down the phone, making sure to make my voice sound like I was scared.

"Okay stay calm sweetheart. Where are you?" he asked and I glanced at Sam, who had stopped the car as I asked for the police and he showed me a street on the map we had.

"White… Whiteford road" I whispered, making my voice break in the middle with fright.

"I was walking home, and I was running a little late and I swore I heard bangs. Like a gun being shot and…" I trailed off, sniffling like I was crying. I heard the guy saying something on the other end before his voice came back on.

"It's okay stay calm" he replied and I sniffled again.

"Please hurry. I don't know if anyone is hurt because I was too scared to go and check it out" I pretend hiccupped through a 'sob' and Sam grinned at me. I grabbed the map and rustled it against the speaker.

"Hello?" the man on the other end asked.

"Hello?" I asked, rustling the paper and making it sound as though I couldn't hear the guy on the other end.

"Hello? Oh shit" I said, rustling the paper even more before ending the call and handing Sam his phone back. He gave me a high five.

"Dude I've seen people in drama school do worse acting than that" he stated and I laughed slightly.

"Well with this job, you have to be a good actor" I grinned back and he laughed, before starting the car again.

"Seriously though Ali, you should consider becoming an actress or something" he said and I grinned before shrugging my shoulders.

"Naah not my style, unless I get to star in action movies. Like Lara Croft" I said and Sam snorted a laugh before shaking his head.

"My brother's rubbing off on you" he stated with a sigh and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Is that so bad? You have a badass brother"

"And how cocky would he get if you called him that?" I shrugged at Sam's question.

"Pretty cocky so don't tell him I said so. You're pretty badass yourself though Sam if it makes you feel better?" I said and he snorted but the smile spread onto his lips.

We continued driving for a while longer until Sam's phone started ringing. He nodded for me to answer it, so I did, putting it on speaker as well just in case.

"Yo" I said causing Sam to laugh beside me and a guy to laugh on the other end. I instantly recognised his laugh and sighed in relief when I knew it was Dean.

"Fake 911 call, that's pretty naughty Sammy" Dean said from the other end and Sam and I laughed.

"Dude I would love to take the credit, but Ali did a brilliant job. She was convincing as hell" Sam said and I laughed at him singing my praise.

"So we gotta talk" Dean stated and Sam and I snorted.

"Yeah tell us about it, apparently the husband was unfaithful so we are dealing with a woman in white" Sam said.

"She's buried behind her old house, so that would've been John's next stop" I stated.

"Would you two shut up for a second?" Dean said but Sam and I didn't pay him much attention.

"What I don't get is why dad hasn't burnt her bones yet" Sam frowned and I heard Dean sigh on the other end.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you" he stated and I frowned at the phone which I was still holding in my hand.

"He's gone. Dad left Jericho" Dean stated and I frowned.

"What? Why? How do you know?" I asked and Dean sighed.

"I have his journal" he stated and Sam and I frowned at each other.

"But he never goes anywhere without that thing" Sam stated.

"Yeah well he apparently did this time" Dean sighed and I frowned.

"Okay, so what does it say?" I questioned and could practically imagine Dean frowning.

"Same old ex-Marine crap he uses when he wants to tell us where he's going to" Dean said and I frowned at Sam.

"So what? Coordinates? Where to?" I asked and Dean sighed on the other end.

"I have no idea yet" Dean replied and I nodded.

"Okay where are you, I'll come get you?" I questioned as Sam looked confused while I listened to Dean's whereabouts before nodding.

"Okay Sam drop me here, I can walk from here" I said and Sam nodded before slamming on the breaks.

"Adios, I'll see you in a few" I stated, handing Sam back his phone and climbing out of the Impala before slamming the door shut behind me and heading in a different direction to take a shortcut into town, where Dean was waiting in a phone box. Apparently he hadn't had time to steal his phone back, he only had time to steal his dad's journal, which was probably the most important item to us at the moment.

Well whatever had happened, it must be important for John to run out on a job. He was a Winchester and just like Dean he was stubborn into finishing what he started even if it meant taking a different route. Unless something happened that meant he had to leave, and knew that Dean and I would come looking for him, so he knew the case would get solved? Hmm, that was very likely actually.

It was then that my phone rang just as someone bumped into me and gripped me tightly, helping me to keep my balance. I looked up and saw that it was Dean, but he looked trouble. I frowned at him.

"What?" he just shuck his head and pushed me forwards before running. I took off after him and realised we were going in the direction of Breckenridge, probably to help Sam dig up the body.

"It's Sam, after you left something happened. He didn't answer me on the phone then my time ran out on the pay phone" Dean called over his shoulder. Shit! I dug my heels into the ground, propelling myself forwards quicker. Please let Sammy be okay! What is it with the boys and scaring me during this case? Ugh, I wouldn't let anything happen to him if I could stop it. Dean staggered behind me a little but I knew he would be able to keep up.

We turned the corner and the dilapidated house rose up, windows boarded up, shutters broken and wooden boarding looking infested and eaten. I spotted the Impala parked in front of the house easily; it wasn't hard to miss that car since she was a beauty. I hurried over and Dean threw me a shotgun that I hadn't realised he'd been carrying. I caught it easily and skidded to a stop next to the driver's window before pumping the gun, lifting it up and squeezing the trigger sending an iron bullet through the window and straight into the face of Constance. I pumped the gun again as Dean fired a shot from my right, which I followed through with another shot.

Just as she disappeared, Sam sat up and twisted the keys, starting the car up again.

"I'm taking you home" I heard him say before the car shot forward, going straight through the side of the house, leaving Dean and myself staring after it before we looked at each other and started for the house at the same time.

The dust swirled around us and I coughed before fanning my hand in front of my face to disperse any lingering dust as I followed after Dean to the passenger side of the car to look through and check on Sam, since the driver's side was boxed in by furniture.

"Sam" I called at the same time that Dean called him.

"Yeah" came Sam's voice and I breathed out a sigh of relief that he was alive.

"You okay?" I asked him and heard him cough.

"I think" I nodded at his response.

"Can you move Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Help me?" Sam replied and Dean leaned through the car, outstretching his hand as I turned around and saw Constance, dressed in her white nightgown, bend down and pick up a photo frame which had been lying on the floor. I frowned at the ghost woman as Dean helped Sam slide out of the car.

"There you go" Dean stated as Sam stood next to me, the both of them turning to face Constance just as I was. The woman looked angry, and she threw down the photo frame in her anger before motioning to a piece of furniture which flew towards us, pinning the three of us against the car. I grunted and the boys groaned as we tried our best to push it away from us, but it didn't work. The pressure was making my legs tingle as the blood was slowly cut off.

It was then that the lights in the house started flickering on and off, something which I was used to happening when it the presence of ghosts. Constance looked up and moved over to the bottom of the stairs.

"You've come home to us mommy" two voices, a girl and a boy, spoke at once and I looked at Dean, knowing instantly that these were Constance's children. The children flashed down the stairs and to Constance where they hugged her and she screamed in pain, her body flashing before they all turned black and were sucked downwards through the floor. With a groan the three of us pushed against the bureau, where it fell away to the floor with a crash.

We walked over to the spot where Constance and her children had disappeared, all of us looking down at it but it was Dean who stated the obvious.

"So this was where she drowned her kids" he stated and Sam nodded.

"That's why she couldn't go home. She was too scared to face them" he stated and I frowned as Dean grinned at his brother.

"Nice work Sammy. You found her weak spot" he stated, hitting Sam on the chest which made Sam wince then laugh in pain. I frowned and studied his chest to see five holes around where his heart would be.

"You okay?" I asked and he smiled before nodding.

"Fine, quit worrying" he stated, with a roll of his eyes as Dean wondered off to check the car. I shrugged at Sam and he grinned at me encouragingly, before throwing an arm around my shoulders and hugging me to his side. I wrapped an arm around his waist and hugged him back, feeling his muscle underneath my fingertips as Dean crouched by the side of the car, observing her exterior.

"I swear, if you've screwed up my car" he stated, pausing to look at Sam over his shoulder and smirking.

"Then I'll kill you" he finished and Sam and I laughed at Dean, though I didn't think he would hesitate in clapping Sam over the head if anything had happened to the car.

We all walked over to the car, Dean climbing over the passenger seat in order to sit in the driver's side as Sam slid into the seat next to him while I hopped into the back, where when my door slammed shut Dean backed out of the house and made his way onto the road as Sam extracted John's journal. I leaned over the back of his seat so that I could look over his left shoulder as he took out a map that we kept in the glove compartment of the car. I took out a flashlight from my duffle and clicked it on, angling it so that Sam could see what he was doing. He sent me a grateful smile before positioning the map and I glanced at the coordinates in John's journal seeing he had written DEAN 35-111 in a circle on a blank page. I frowned as Sam used a ruler that he'd found somewhere to join the points up as Dean fiddled with the tapes, slotting in AC/DC's Highway To Hell, which was my favourite songs of theirs.

"Okay so here is where dad went" Sam stated, pointing to somewhere on the map, but it was positioned more so that he could see it.

"Okay where?" Dean and I asked at the same time.

"Blackwater Ridge in Colorado" Sam stated and I nodded.

"Sounds nice, how far is that?" Dean asked and Sam titled his head, calculating.

"About six hundred miles" Sam responded and I glanced at Dean, knowing what he was thinking and I sighed, making Sam start since I had sighed down his ear. I smiled apologetically before clicking off the flashlight and sitting back in my chair.

"If we shag ass could we make it by morning?" Dean asked as I was zipping my duffle closed and I rolled at his words. He had a weird way of phrasing things, but I knew that if we went straight away would we make it by morning. I saw Sam's shoulders tense.

"Dean…I… um" he said and I heard Dean sigh.

"You're not going" I stated as Dean looked at the road for a few moments before back at Sam, who looked at me through the rear-view and shook his head, before looking back at his brother.

"I can't, the interview's in like ten hours" he stated and I smiled a tiny smile before nodding.

"Yeah we know" I sighed, feeling disappointed and it was then that I realised I had hoped, just like Dean had, that Sam might have actually gotten a feel for Hunting again, and that he might actually want to stay with us. Hoping was a stupid thing though! It was because of hope that people became disappointed. Fucking pathetic emotion!

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take you home" was Dean's reply as we settled into silence, me singing the words under my breath so as not to irritate Sam, since he was easily irritated when it came to Dean and I singing along to his music.

Soon enough we pulled onto the kerb outside Sam's place and we stayed sitting for a while. I grabbed Sam's duffle and handed it to him as he climbed out, but leant back down through the open passenger door.

"Call me if you find him?" he asked and both Dean and I nodded.

"Sure" we said.

"And maybe I can meet up with you later on?" Sam asked. I could tell he felt bad about leaving us to look for his dad, but he also didn't want to miss the interview and screw up his future. He wanted to go to law school and carry on with his life. With Jess. I knew this because… well I just knew it in my heart and gut.

"Yeah maybe, if you want" I replied, shrugging and Sam nodded, since I was leaning on the back of the chair.

Sam pulled back, patting the passenger door and I climbed out of the back. If he was going then I was claiming my space riding shotgun again, since I missed being up front. It was weird riding in the back with Sam in front, since it was usually John and Dean in front. Sam smiled at me as Dean leaned over.

"Sam" his brother looked down at him again.

"You know, we made a helluva team back there" Dean said and I grinned at the boys, especially because Dean had a point. I'd forgotten how well they worked together.

"Yeah" Sam grinned in response before pulling back and turning to me. I didn't give him a chance before I hurtled myself against his body, where he quickly response by wrapping his arms around me as I buried my face in his hoodie, breathing in his scent that I had missed so much over the last few years. I pulled back and looked up at him, making him frown and me to blink the tears away. He smiled kindly and cradled my face before kissing my head gently and wiping my tears away.

"This isn't goodbye Ali, I'll see you again soon and I promise I'll keep in touch more often" he said and I bit my lip, swallowing around the lump in my throat.

"Promise?" I asked and he smiled at me before nodding.

"Promise" he said and I nodded before throwing my arms around his neck, making him wrap his arms around my waist to pick me up so that he didn't have to bend to hug me.

"Lanky shit" I joked, laughing around my tears. He chuckled in my ear and I kissed his cheek before he set me down on my feet.

"See you soon Sammy" I said and he smiled before nodding.

"See you soon Ali" he replied and I slid into the passenger seat, Sam slamming the door shut after me as I scrubbed my face with my sleeves. Sam smiled at me kindly as Dean tapped my knee soothingly. We waved goodbye and Sam waved back before dean drove off.

"You okay?" he asked and I turned my head in his direction, since I was leaning my head against the backrest. I sighed and nodded slowly.

"Yeah I'll be fine" I stated and Dean smiled before taking one of his hands off the wheel and grabbing my left hand in his. I gripped his hand back, squeezing his fingers in between mine as he lifted our hands and pecked the back of my hand soothingly, something he always did to calm me and it always worked.

"Yeah you will be. How can you not be okay with a hot guy like myself to keep you company" he grinned and I gagged.

"Dude you're practically my brother" I stated and he shrugged.

"So, incest is real" he replied, wiggling his eyebrows at me and I laughed before shuddering.

"Yeah the idea turns my stomach, and not in a good way" I said, laughing slightly and Dean pouted playfully before turning back to the road and letting go of my hand.

I retracted my hand, placing in back in my lap as I turned my head in the direction of the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass to cool my face down. I scrunched my hands into fists, feeling them shaking again, so I squeezed them between my thighs to keep them hidden from Dean, not wanting to him to worry over me. But I grew dizzy, feeling lightheaded and weightless, even finding it hard to feel the leather seat beneath my butt and jean clad thighs. I started to sweat, my brow being covered in perspiration as the dizziness continued, my head spinning so that it made me feel sick, which didn't help that I was in a moving vehicle. My stomach churned and I took deep breaths to get rid of the queasy feeling but it didn't work.

"Dean" I whimpered, the simple sound sending an exploding pain in my head and I felt his hand cover one of my mine, feeling how shaky my hands were.

"Shit" he gasped, slamming the breaks on and I groaned at the shift in momentum as it caused my painfully sore body to slide forwards on the seat.

"Ali, look at me. Aliana!" he said, grasping my face in his hands and turning my head towards him when I couldn't move my head on my own. That simple movement caused pain to explode behind my eyelids and I gasped in air, the dizziness making me feel as though I was in a tornado where all of the oxygen was being sucked out.

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice slightly high in fear. I cracked my eyes open, which I hadn't realised I had closed and looked into his hazel/green eyes which were alight in fear. I gasped again before swallowing past my dry throat.

"Sam" I said, as the desperation, guilt, nausea and pain hit me and I knew then that this feeling I'd had the last few days was somehow linked with Sam, but I didn't know why. Dean gasped before letting go of my face, his eyes landing on his watch and he froze. I looked over to see that his watch had stopped working and it was then that Dean did a U-Turn and headed back the way we had come, putting his foot down more to make it back to Sam's house in time. Dean didn't even need to ask me, he just knew to trust that I had a bad feeling and that Sam needed him, knowing I would be useless because these moments rendered me in pain and unable to move for about a day as everything that my body went through with the feelings, the pain and nausea and dizziness had to calm down before I was able to function again properly. Then again a frozen watch wasn't a good sign either, it was made worse by the fact that my bad feeling was as bad as this.

He slowed down and I opened my eyes with a groan, wincing at the light coming from the houses and streetlamps before turning my head to Dean, who was watching me warily. I sent him a tiny smile, hoping it didn't portray the amount of pain my body and mind and heart were in.

"Go, find your brother. I'll be okay here" I replied just as a bright light started in one of the windows, which I instantly knew was the room Sam shared with Jess. Oh shit, Jess!

"Go!" I exclaimed, wincing at the sound of my voice and the effort that it took me to say one small word. Dean frowned but nodded and dashed out of the car, leaving the door open but I didn't have the energy to reach over and slam it shut and I didn't want to either in fear of the pain the sound would cause through my pounding head.

I looked up at the building and saw the window become bright with the blaze of fire and a whimpering sound came from my throat. _Please let Dean have gotten to Sam in time, please, please, please_ I begged in my head. I wanted Sam to be okay, as well as Jess but I knew by the dread filling my gut that she was gone, and that fact hurt because I knew it would pain Sam. I knew already without needing Sam or Dean to tell me that what had happened to Jess, was exactly how Mary- the boys' mother- had died. Dead and pinned to the ceiling, where fire then encompassed her, blowing up the room as it did so and I knew this because of the feelings and slight flashes of images I'd been getting that had been causing me to have sleepless nights. Though I knew that I should've done something, as soon as I saw Sam and Jess for the first time three days ago, I should've said something, because maybe it would've stopped this from happening, maybe it would save Sam from the pain that I knew he would go through right now. I sighed as I felt the tears fall down my face at the guilt, pain, desperation and nausea that I was currently feeling, though I knew it wasn't just mine, but also Sam's that I had tapped into and my heart already hurt for him and his loss. The back door opened and the car shifted, making me groan in pain but I shifted, sending my head spinning to see that Dean had placed Sam into the back of the car. I looked at the 22 year old man sitting down behind me and watched as he sobbed into his hands. Fuck, he'd really loved her! Dean glanced at me and I smiled slightly but being unable to nod to reassure him I was fine because I knew that with this pain in my head, the aching getting worse every minute, the pounding becoming louder so that it sounded like I was in a tiny room with a drumming band surrounding me playing as loud as they could, the physical pain my body was enduring through tiny movements and the mental and emotional pain I was going through from seeing Sam broken and crying in the backseat and knowing I should've done something to keep her safe, for Sam's sake- well all of this at once was too much to handle and I knew it wouldn't take long for me to pass out, so I couldn't risk passing out in front of Dean by nodding at him which would make me feel worse. I motioned Dean over with my hand and he frowned, before slamming the door shut and hurrying over where he helped me out of the passenger seat, supporting my weight as my legs were jelly and opening the door to the backseat where I carefully slid in next to Sam. He jumped, sensing me near him and looked up at me. I placed my arm on his shoulder and he started crying again, noiseless sobs, with a few tears trailing down his face.

I looked at Dean, telling him what to do with my eyes and he nodded, slamming the door shut after us, making me jump and groan at the sound, but I bit my tongue to keep from crying out as I pulled Sam into my arms.

"I've got you Sammy" I whispered into his hair, holding the wince back as he gripped my body as he hugged me.

"It's okay to let go sweetie" I whispered, my voice unable to become any louder. He pulled in a breath and let it go again in a heart-wrenching sob. I smoothed his hair down before kissing him and playing with his hair, trying to offer him a small amount of comfort as he buried his face into my chest, worrying me that he hadn't hurt himself on two necklaces I kept on. He sobbed against me and I held him tightly, playing with his hair and rubbing his back soothingly as my own heart hurt with every beat and every pump of blood around my body. I hated seeing him like this, I hated seeing the two guys I loved so broken, but I promised that I would always be there for Sam if he needed me.

"I got you, I'm not going anywhere" I said into his hair and he nodded against my hold telling me he'd heard me and that he was grateful.

Sirens were heard in the distance and Sam pulled back, his eyes red and his nose dripping slightly. I rubbed my thumbs along his cheeks, since I was cradling his face when he pulled away, to remove any tear trails, before painfully leaning over the front of the car and taking out the wipes that I kept in the glove compartment, offering them to Sam, which he took and wiped his face with.

"Dean called the cops and fire department" I stated, telling Sam so that he knew he had nothing to do. He nodded and sent me a small smile.

"Thanks" he said, voice hoarse from crying and I frowned, ignoring the pain that exploded behind my eyes, in my head and in my ears as I looked at him questioningly. He smiled slightly and I nodded slowly as I realised what he was thanking me for. He was thanking me for getting rid of Dean and holding him while he cried. The boys never had a problem crying in front of me, but they hated crying in front of each other, though they did occasionally when things became too much, and I cried in front of them of course, though none of us did when John was around.

With a sigh, Sam climbed out of the car and headed to the boot, where he popped it and I knew he was heading for the arsenal of guns hidden underneath. I watched Dean walk over from where he was standing in a crowd, watching the fire department battling the flames, but if there had been any hope that someone was alive, well there wasn't now. Those flames had been caused by something supernatural and so they would be harder to put out than normal, human made flame. Dean nodded to me and I nodded back, wincing at the pain that rocketed throughout my body as he walked to where Sam was behind me in, rummaging around in the boot.

"We got work to do" I heard Sam say as the boot slammed shut and both boys climbed into the seat in front of me. I leant against the window, wincing against the light that flashed into my eyes and was aware that Dean was watching me. He glanced at me over his shoulder, making Sam do the same.

"You look like shit. What happened?" Sam asked and I frowned at him, blinking against the pain, but each time it became harder to open my eyes.

"I'm fine Sammy" I sighed and heard Dean snort.

"Fine my ass. Let's get to a motel and let you sleep it off" he sighed. I blinked my eyes open and winced at the lights flashing past.

"Dean I-" I began and he smiled at me before nodding, knowing what I was going to ask and agreeing. I let out a sigh of relief, glad that he wouldn't be leaving Sam nor I tonight, because Sam wouldn't sleep well, I had a feeling of that especially after what he had witnessed and I knew that I wouldn't sleep well because these episodes made me have bad dreams, worse than what I usually had on a bad night.

I closed my eyes against the pain, grateful because it helped ease my sore eyes slightly but that was all. I was aware of Sam and Dean conferring about something before I was lifted into someone's arms.

"I got you Ali" Sam sighed as he shuffled me around to make it more comfortable for the both of us before walking when Dean yelled and Sam walked, jostling me around a little.

I was placed on something soft and felt my boots being taken off before someone moved my hair out of my face and climbed into bed next to me, wrapping me up in their arms and covering me with their scent. I snuggled closer Dean's chest and he kissed my head.

"Sleep now sis, I've got you and I will look after Sammy too" he said reassuringly.

So I let sleep claim me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:**Here is chapter two, which takes place during Season 1 episode 2. I understand that these chapters are really long, but there are 22 episodes in season 1, which means 2 chapters on here. If I split the chapters up then it means more chapters than necessary as well as confusing myself. I get confused easily. Anyways I hope you enjoy the chapter, please leave a review to tell me what you think while I eat chocolate cake and watch Supernatural :)

-Laura

**Chapter 2- Wendigo**

I swallowed the water along with the painkillers and bit my tongue against the gag reflex. I hated water, it tasted bland and crap, hence the reason I stuck to sodas and beer. They tasted much better. I looked up and saw Dean's worried glance through the rear-view mirror so I sent him a small smile before averting my gaze. Sam's arm twitched from where he was lying on it, with his head pressed against the window. He'd dozed off a few hours ago while Dean and I had quiet conversations so as not to wake him, though we'd currently lapsed into silence. I watched as trees flashed past, the movement making me feel quite ill again. I sighed against the blinding hot flash of pain across my forehead and chose to twist my ponytail around my fingers, which was hard to do since it was set in the middle of my head and the bottom of my hair brushed against my shoulder blades. It had been a while since I cut my hair, heck since I'd taken it out of a ponytail other than to wash it, so I didn't really know how long it was.

"How you feeling sis?" Dean's deep, but quiet voice asked from the front. I held back a wince, not wanting him to worry before sending him a bright smile, my pain held behind the wall that I knew we both had to keep us away from any strong emotions and any attachments except to each other. He sighed instead, sounding annoyed.

"Don't lie" he stated and I bit my lip, rolling my eyes but wincing when that motion hurt. It would take a while for the pain meds to kick in so I shrugged again.

"I feel like shit" I stated, "-but I'll cope, I always do" was my reply and he sent me a small, but genuine smile before nodding.

"I know you will you're a fighter" he said before frowning as he thought of something.

"But I don't understand what's wrong this time around?" he asked and I sighed before shrugging.

"Nothing has changed since you asked me that yesterday Dean. I still don't know the answer to that question either" I responded and he nodded slowly, before focusing entirely on the road he was driving on.

It had been a week since the events in Jericho, and since Sam lost his girlfriend Jess, which meant it had also been a week since those strange events that I had experienced and in that week my physical health hadn't improved. I still had the headaches, still had the physical ache of my body and the occasional emotional and mental ache, though I was over what happened and was able to keep my grief and sympathy for Sam behind my wall, so I have no idea why I was still feeling that occasionally since my emotions were always on a leash.

I'd slept for a day and a half after Dean and Sam had brought me to the motel and in those two days Dean hadn't left my side, except to go and get food for him and Sam since he didn't want to let Sam out on his own, not in state that the guy was in, so of course Sam kept an eye on me then. According to the both of them though unlike the times that the episodes had been like when I was younger, where I would sleep just over a day and be fine when I woke, this time around I slept but it was a deep slumber, I would toss and turn, I would mumble and physically cry in my sleep. When they asked me what I was dreaming about when I woke up I couldn't tell them, not because I didn't want to but because I physically couldn't remember. I only remembered the feelings that came with the dreams. Also unlike the other times was the fact that I hadn't felt any better. If anything I felt worse. The pain in my body and heart became worse and I was physically sick a few times each day. I knew Dean was worried because I'd never reacted like this and ever since I woke up five days ago he kept pestering me with questions as to why I was acting like this. But like I told him I didn't know, nor was I too worried, I knew that my body would get used to it and it would pass, but at the moment I was more worried about Sam. He was keeping everything locked up and guarded from Dean and I and neither of us liked it. It was dangerous because emotions as strong as what I knew he was going through shouldn't be kept hidden because they would slowly eat him alive. I knew Dean was worried as well, especially since I couldn't recall the last time Sam had ever cried as badly as that. I don't think he ever had, not even when my family died and both boys had been as attached to my parents and sister as what I had.

Sam started in his seat, his breathing quick and shallow. Dean looked over at him as I frowned at the back of his dark head of hair. I was worried about the guy, which wasn't helped by the fact that my stomach was constantly churning every hour that I was awake, even worse when I didn't have anything to focus my mind on. The sickness coupled with my crippling love and worry for the youngest brother wasn't doing me any good.

"You okay?" Dean asked Sam, who looked over at him before looking away and out of the window.

"I'm fine" Sam sighed and I frowned at the back of his head, shaking my head at him though he couldn't see, unless he had eyes in the back of his head. I clenched my jaw as black spots danced across my vision before blinking them away and carefully placing my hand on Sam's shoulder. He linked his fingers with mine and squeezed.

"Are you still having nightmares?" I asked quietly. I could imagine him swallowing but he said nothing so I took that as the answer to my question, though I knew he was. He was scared and his heart was beating fast when he started awake. Those dreams he had- which I knew were about Jessica- always freaked him out for a while.

"You wanna drive for a while?" Dean asked and I snorted and Sam laughed slightly.

"Dean, your whole life, you never once asked me that" Sam stated and I smiled slightly, but couldn't manage any bigger a smile as my stomach churned uncomfortably again and I felt slightly queasy. I took deep, quiet breaths as I shuffled closer to the window but my face and body grew hot, my body became heavy, my head started spinning and my ears became sore, feeling as though they were blocked up. I swallowed against the bile threatening to rise as I rested my forehead against the back of Sam's chair, hoping the cool leather of the seat would be cool enough against my flushed skin.

"I just thought you might've wanted to" Dean sighed and I knew he probably shrugged his shoulders.

"Look man, you're worried, I get it and thank you but I'm perfectly okay" Sam sighed and I rolled my eyes to myself, feeling myself growing hotter with every passing second, but focused instead on their conversation.

"Ali?" Dean asked and I waved my hand at hearing his voice, trying to reassure him but felt the car slowing down. He sighed and I heard Sam grunt in front of me before I felt his hand on my hair, smoothing my hair slightly.

"Come on you, let's get you outside for some fresh air" he said calmly. I winced at the cracking sound of his door slamming before my own opened and a hand gripped me tightly, pulling me out of the car and letting me lean against the side. I smiled weakly up at Sam, grateful as the cool wind blew across my flushed cheeks and he frowned as Dean walked over and pressed the back of his hand against my forehead and cheeks, clenching his jaw as he did so.

"Ali you're hot" he stated and I mustered up a smirk.

"Now is not the time to hit on me my dear brother" I said and he rolled his eyes as I felt sick again. I pushed him away and ran around the back of the car to side of the road, where I threw up into a bush, and after a while my vomiting turned to dry heaving as I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. I sighed and walked back over to the brothers who were leaning against the car, arms resting on the roof as they watched me carefully. Dean threw me my bottle of water and I caught it out of the air before turning away and swirling my mouth, taking a few gulps after spitting that out. I wiped my mouth on the back of my sleeve before walking back over to the Impala, but Dean stopped me from climbing in, pressing his hand against my head and cheeks again and frowning at me.

"You've cooled off" he stated and I shrugged at him. I felt perfectly fine now.

"I'm fine now Dean, don't worry so much, you have enough to deal with" I sighed, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder briefly before letting go and nodding.

"Now we have work to do, so get your butt back into the car and let's get going" I stated. He frowned before sighing and nodding. I smiled and walked around him before climbing back into the car before rummaging around in my duffle, hoping to find the pack of breath mints that I kept in here.

"So where are we?" Sam asked once we started driving again and I looked up questioningly, wondering the same thing since I hadn't been paying much attention to road signs.

"We are just outside of Grand Junction" Dean stated and I frowned in thought, but couldn't be bothered to work out how far that was from Colorado. I heard rustling and looked up and over Sam's shoulder to find that he was looking at the map, where we had drawn an 'X' in red over Blackwater Ridge, where we were currently heading.

"You know, maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon" Sam sighed and I frowned at him as Dean sent a worried glance at his brother.

"Sam you guys dug around there for a week" I stated, feeling guilty that I'd been way too ill at that time to help out, but Dean had reassured me that he and Sam would be fine on their own and that I should rebuild my strength for when we got back on the road again. Sam sighed and Dean said aloud what I was currently thinking.

"We found nothing Sammy, and if you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica-" he said

"We gotta find dad first" Sam interrupted and I sighed, looking at the back of his head.

"You know maybe, with John disappearing and the thing coming back again after 22 years, maybe it isn't a coincidence" I shrugged and Dean glanced at me, nodding stiffly and I knew that he had thought the exact same thing as me. Dean nodded.

"Dad'll have answers. He'll know what to do" Dean stated and I smiled in agreement. John knew a lot of things, heck he usually had a plan most times but Sam sighed.

"You know, this is weird" he began and I could imagine him frowning.

"These coordinates dad gave us, this Blackwater Ridge" Sam rambled and I frowned at him.

"What about it?" Dean asked, glancing away from the road to Sam and back again.

"Well there's nothing here. It's just woods" Sam said and there was more rustling as he placed the map down against his legs.

"Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?" he wondered aloud and I knew it was a rhetorical question since none of us had the answer but I shrugged.

"Hunting season?" I replied, slightly sarcastically and both boys snorted laughs in response.

"Maybe the locals have a wolf problem? I like wolves. They are cute and safer than the bastards we deal with" I stated and Dean snorted in response. I was only joking since I didn't care about the shit we killed and he knew that, but I turned narrowed eyes on him.

"Which reminds me, why did you offer to let Sammy drive, but when I ask you have a bitch fit?" I asked and he groaned.

"Because you drove the once when we went grand theft auto and I nearly shit my pants at what you are like as a driver" he replied and I frowned, not remembering that and he shrugged.

"And I don't want to risk you killing my baby" he stated, making Sam snort and me to glare at him.

"So you don't care about anything other than the Impala?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Well I value my life, even more so when you are on your period. I would take on a dozen demons over talking to you every month" he shrugged and Sam choked on his spit as he laughed as I frowned before shrugging.

"Fair enough" I replied, seeing a sign saying 'Welcome to Lost Creek, Colorado, National Forest' out of the corner of my eye while Sam and Dean chuckled quietly to themselves.

We passed a few buildings until we parked next to a sign outside of a cabin on the outskirts of the town saying 'Ranger Station, Lost Creek Trail, Lost Creek National Forest'.

"You coming with?" Dean asked and I looked at him.

"You mean I get to come this time?" I asked and he knew I was referring to when he and Sam posed as Feds while I was stuck in the car. He rolled his eyes in response but shrugged and I nodded before climbing out of the car where we walked inside.

I followed Sam over to a 3D map in the centre of the room while Dean walked off elsewhere.

"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote" he stated as we both studied the map.

"It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest and gold mines all over the place" he said aloud, giving Dean a rough idea while the two of us studied the map and he pointed out the things he was listing off so that I could see where about these things were placed.

"Dude look at the size of this freaking bear" Dean said and I blinked before hurrying over to his side, where I studied the photograph that he was looking at which was nailed on one of the walls. The bear was in fact huge. I heard Sam move around before he stood on Dean's other side.

"And a dozen or more so grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure" he stated and I bit my lip.

"So maybe we aren't hunting wolves after all" I said quietly.

"You three aren't planning on going by Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" a male voice said from behind us, making the three of us turn in surprise. Dean and myself were usually more aware of our surroundings than that and I knew I hadn't heard anyone walk in.

"No Sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper" Sam replied and my eyebrow quirked in surprise. Wow he was a fast thinker, and I never would've thought of that.

"Recycle man" Dean pumped his fist and I rolled my lips into my mouth, sniggering quietly as Sam let out a little laugh of his own.

"Bull" the man replied and I finally realised he was in a Rangers uniform. I continued looking at the man whose name I could see was Ranger Wilkinson, but out of the corner of my eye I saw Sam's head twitch in the direction of Dean, possibly thinking 'what the fuck do we say now?'

"You're friends with that Haley girl right?" Ranger Wilkinson said and I smiled in reply.

"Yes, yes we are Ranger…" Dean trailed off and I knew he was reading the nametag on the man's uniform.

"Ranger Wilkinson" he nodded and I rolled my eyes at him but of course he couldn't see.

"Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?" the Ranger replied and both Dean and I shook our heads at him, making the man nod.

"Well you tell that girl not to worry, I'm sure her brother is just fine" he stated and I looked at Dean briefly.

"We will" I replied and Dean nodded.

"But that Haley girl is a right pistol huh?" he tacked on the end of my sentence and I smiled at his sneaky way to try and understand her without seeming like he was busy too nosy. The Ranger smiled slightly.

"That's a mild way of putting it" he said and I frowned to myself.

"But you know, I think it would really help her if we could show her a copy of that backcountry permit? So that she could physically see her brother's return date?" I asked and the Ranger frowned before nodding slowly.

"Yeah alright" he replied after studying me closely for a second and I flashed him a smile before he walked off, probably to photocopy it. I turned to grin at Dean and he winked in reply, making me smile wider since I knew he was impressed with my thinking, though I knew he would've thought of the same thing.

The Ranger soon returned and he handed the piece of paper to Dean, who was closer to him. We thanked him before walking out of the Station and towards the Impala where Dean started laughing. I eyed him curiously but made my way over to the car, standing next to Sam where Dean stood opposite us and frowned as Sam rolled his eyes.

"Are you cruising for a hook-up or something?" he asked his brother and I turned to frown at him.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked and Sam rolled his eyes as though that was a silly question.

"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge. So let's go there and go find dad, I mean why should we even bother going to talk to this girl?" he asked, sounding a little annoyed with the idea and eager to go and find his father. I understood the urge of course, but he was letting his feelings control him instead of rational thought.

"Well maybe because we should know what we are about to walk into first Sammy" I responded, brows furrowing even more. This was not the Sam that I knew and loved. The Sam that Dean and I had known was always the one who thought things out rationally, he never wanted to plough into something unprepared.

"What?" Sam asked, glancing back and forth between Dean and myself.

"Well since when are you all shoot first, ask questions later anyway?" Dean asked and Sam sighed.

"Since now" he replied, opening the door and climbing into the passenger seat, slamming the door closed once his legs were in the car.

"Really?" Dean asked, with an impressive tilt of his head, before we both climbed into the car at the same time.

I sighed, closing the door after myself as Dean started the car and we drove off in search of this Haley person, while I frowned to myself, worrying about Sam's sudden change in attitude. I mean sure, tragedy and revenge made people change. I knew this had happened with John and it had happened with me, but it hadn't changed me to the point where I was less cautious than usual and didn't care about potentially getting hurt. I was still cautious and still careful about finding things out before putting myself, and people I cared about as well as innocent people at risk. And Sam- compared to his father, brother and I anyway- was always the most careful out of all of us and always sensible, usually to the point where we couldn't do anything until he had checked it was okay first. Now since Jess's death, he was eager to find his dad and learn what he knew to kill this thing, to the point where he didn't care what he would put himself as well as Dean and I through, as long as he got the revenge he sought, for both the sake of himself and Jess. This scared me more than anything we would probably face out in the middle of nowhere.

Soon though Dean pulled up outside of a cute home, where the three of us pulled out of the car and walked up to the door, which had a mesh screen covering the front door. Sam and Dean stopped in front of the door just as the door on the inside swung open to reveal a pretty dark-haired woman with a rounded face. I stopped on the bottom step behind them.

"Are you Haley Collins?" Dean asked and the woman frowned but nodded.

"Yeah?" she replied a little cautiously. Dean nodded.

"I'm Dean, this is Sam. We're… rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over to ask you a few questions about your brother Tommy?" he stated and I rolled my eyes at my brother's back. Sure Dean leave me out why don't you. Assbutt! I saw through the gap between Sam and Dean, that Haley hesitated before nodding at Dean.

"Lemme see some ID" she stated and Sam froze but Dean nodded and reached into one his pockets, before holding a fake ID against the mesh covering. Haley looked at it before nodding and opening the screen between us where she frowned at me, directing Dean's attention my way. I rolled my eyes at him and waved at the woman.

"I'm Ali, their step-sister" I stated. It was easier than saying sister, especially with some of the jokes that Dean and I made, so step-sister was closer since Dean and I were practically siblings, and it was easier to explain why we were so close without being blood related. It just made things simpler. Haley frowned but nodded slowly, seemingly okay with that explanation, though she didn't push for more answers, such as why they were carting their step-sister around with them.

She stepped aside to let us in before nodding in the direction of where we had parked the Impala.

"That yours?" she asked and Dean and I nodded.

"Yeah" he replied and she smiled slightly.

"Nice car" was all she said before leading us into her house, where a younger man sat at the kitchen table, a laptop placed on the surface in front of him. Dean turned to Sam and said something, which I couldn't see because I was in front of them, but whatever was said, Sam just rolled his eyes at.

"Take a seat, I'm just preparing some food for us so I'll be back and forth a little" she said and I smiled but took the offered seat at the table where the guy was sitting. I was assuming he was her younger brother. Sam and Dean nodded and took up places to, Sam sitting down next to me while Dean chose to stand just a little further back as Haley disappeared out of the room, returning soon after holding a bowl and a few plates.

"So if your brother isn't due back yet, then how do you know something's wrong?" I asked her, knowing deep in my gut that she knew something wasn't right. Perhaps it was just her intuition? She smiled at me slightly as she placed the bowl on the table before looking back up.

"He keeps in touch, by checking in every day. He emails us photos and silly little videos. But it's been three days and we haven't heard anything from him" she said and I nodded, understanding exactly why this would worry her. Dean, John and I used to do the same if we went our separate ways, Dean and I would contact his father everyday just to reassure him that he was alive, and John would do the same with us. Of course the other could've forgotten, but I guessed that in Haley's case, her brother wouldn't have forgotten. He didn't seem the type to forget to check in because he must know how it would worry his siblings.

"It could be that he doesn't have cell reception?" Sam asked and I frowned, knowing it wasn't that.

"No he has a satellite phone too" was Haley's response and I bit my lip just as Dean asked something.

"Could it be he's having too much fun and forgot to check in?" I turned to my brother and caught his eye before give a slight shake of my head. That had been an option I had ticked off just from what I was sensing from the siblings.

"He wouldn't do that" the guy behind the computer stated and I knew that he was the younger sibling. Dean frowned at me, seemingly a little freaked that I had scratched that option off even before Haley or her brother had, but he ignored it for now and instead turned to look at the guy, who avoided Dean's gaze though I couldn't understand why, while Haley placed the plates down on the table during the slight pause, eyeing her brother momentarily before focusing her attention on Dean. She sighed.

"Our parents are gone, so it's just my brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other" she stated and I nodded slowly, understanding the urge to keep an eye on her siblings very easily.

"Can we see the pictures he sent you?" I asked politely and Haley nodded.

"Yeah" she moved around to the laptop, which her brother had pushed away so that it was in between him and Sam, before she clicked a few things on the laptop and some pictures popped up.

"That's Tommy" she stated and I frowned at the picture. Well he was cute, that was a sure thing. She tapped a few more times, going through a few pictures before another one popped up, looking like it was in a freeze frame. It started moving.

"Hey Haley, so day six, we're still near Blackwater Ridge, still safe so don't worry okay? Talk to you tomorrow" Tommy said and I frowned at something moving behind the tent material, and judging from Sam's momentary change in expression he noticed it too. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and he nodded, understanding that I was asking if he'd saw that to. I looked back at the screen, shifting in my seat slightly as my stomach churned. This was the last thing he sent to his sister before something happened. My stomach constricted slightly and I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.

"Well, we'll find your brother. We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing" Dean said and I swallowed, making my breathing even as he said this.

"Maybe I'll see you there. Look, I can't sit around here much longer, so I hired a guide. I'm going out there tomorrow and I'm going to find Tommy myself" she stated and I felt my respect for her shoot up a few more notches.

"I think I know how you feel" Dean and I said at the same time before shooting each other a grin and Sam smiled at the two of us slightly before focusing his attention back on Haley.

"Would you mind forwarding this to me?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Sure" he smiled and nodded at her response and I turned to look at Dean before I looked back at Haley and got to my feet.

"Thanks for your time, but we should probably get going now" I stated, looking at the Winchesters and they both nodded, Sam also getting to his feet, but not before pulling out a notepad and pen and scribbling down his email, before ripping off the piece of paper and leaving it on the table so that Haley could forward the pictures and videos to him. Haley nodded in response and led us out of the door, where she watched us climb into the car before closing the door after her.

Dean started up the Impala and drove away from the house, where we all sat in silence, which surprised me; I was expecting Dean to question what happened back at Haley's house. But he stayed silent, though I knew him well enough to know that he was dying to ask me, but for some reason was holding himself back. I didn't need any weird feelings to understand my brother; Sam on the other hand was a little harder to figure out.

Soon enough we pulled into an empty space in front of a bar and I rolled my eyes at this but got out of the car and followed the boys inside. Sam and I found a table as Dean headed for the bar to order drinks, while we made ourselves comfortable and Sam removed his laptop, pulling up his email, where there was a new one containing attachments. He clicked on it and downloaded the video that we had been watching earlier as Dean returned holding three beers, which he set down on the table. I grabbed mine quickly and necked half of the bottle before settling it back in its place, feeling a little better when my stomach eased off. It hadn't stopped churned or tightening all through talking to Haley and I knew within a few minutes of meeting her that she was right to be worried. There was something out there and her brother was in danger. I just didn't know what it was yet, which was dangerous, walking into something that we had no clue about.

"So Blackwater Ridge doesn't get much traffic. Local campers mostly, but this last April, two campers went missing, but they were never found" Sam stated, as a waitress walked past, carrying a beer on the tray that she was holding and I heard a few shouts from some men playing pool nearby.

"Any before that?" I asked as Sam flicked through John's journal, before pulling out a few pieces of paper and laying them on the table next to him, so that Dean could get a better look. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but waited for Sam to list the points out loud like he tended to do.

"Yeah, in 1982, eight people went missing. The local authorities labelled it as a grizzly attack" he explained before turning back to his laptop where I knew he had probably being doing research using the online archives of any local newspapers.

"And again in 1959, then before that in 1936" Sam stated, before clicking on his laptop and opening up the window containing the video of Tommy that he had downloaded from the email he'd received.

"Every twenty-three years?" I questioned, frowning at the boys and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, like clockwork" he stated and I frowned at how these attacks were precise, just like he was hinting at.

"Okay watch this, I downloaded Tommy's video to my laptop. Check this out" he stated, nodding towards his laptop but I knew that this was more for Dean's benefit than either of us, since Dean had been standing too far back to watch the video.

An image of Tommy popped up on the screen, but I saw that Sam wasn't planning on playing it; instead he tapped the mouse three times, showing three different frames of Tommy, in which the shadow outside of the tent moved from left to right. I saw Dean perk up and frown at the screen.

"Do it again" he said. Sam did as Dean asked.

"That's three frames. A fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it moves fast" Sam stated and I nodded in response as Dean smacked Sam on the arm, causing Sam to look away from his laptop and to Dean.

"Told you something was up" Dean said, in his traditional 'I told you so' way, which was annoying as fuck. I'd lost count of how many times he'd said the exact same thing to me over the years.

"Yeah" Sam breathed, but I could tell he didn't want to hear it, he just wanted to go and find John and then try and hunt the thing that killed his girlfriend down. But life was never that simple. John had been looking Sam's entire life and he hadn't found a single clue, or not that I was aware of, but John was never the kind of guy to share. Sam closed his laptop.

"I do have one thing" he said, handing another newspaper article to Dean, "-in fifty-nine, one camper survived the supposed grizzly attack. Kid crawled out of the place, barely made it out alive" Sam explained and I frowned at him.

"There a name?" I asked and judging from Sam's expression there was, and he knew where the guy was.

We headed back out to the Impala, where Dean drove to where this surviving camper probably lived; since I'm sure Sam told him when they were walking out of the bar behind me.

"Here we are" Dean stated, turning the engine off and I blinked three times, before looking away from the window and the trees and houses that flashed past. I'd been so consumed by my thoughts that I'd blanked out for a while.

The boys climbed out of the car and with a sigh I followed after them, slamming the car door shut behind me as I followed them up the steps leading to the house, where they were already exchanging words with the guy, Mr Shaw by the time I arrived. He led us inside the house and I wrinkled my nose at the smell of cigars. It was too much of a strong, unpleasant smell for me. The guy was wearing shorts and a white, stained top which showed his beer belly, with a cigar dangling from his lips.

"Look ranger, I don't know why you are asking me about this. It's public record and I was a kid when my parents got mauled by a-"

"A grizzly? Is that what killed your parents?" Sam asked, though he interrupted the man to do so while he puffed on his cigar before removing it to nod as the boys walked a little closer to him, though I stayed near to the front door, in case I needed to escape because the air was clogged with smoke and it was making me a little light-headed. But I wasn't used to being around smokers so that was my excuse as to why I was light-headed.

"So the other people who were killed that same year. Those were all bear attacks?" Dean asked. There was a momentary pause before he spoke again.

"What about the people this year? Same thing?" he asked and I sighed quietly, rubbing my face out of tiredness. I hated beating around the bush, especially when people knew the truth but were too scared to talk. It was that and the not talking to people like Sam, Dean and I that meant those creatures could roam free and kill more innocent people. I sighed as there was a pause in the conversation.

"Look Mr Shaw, if we knew what we were dealing with then we could stop it" I stated and the guy snorted before taking a seat on the stuffed armchair that looked worn out, suggesting he didn't move from it much.

"I seriously doubt that, besides I don't see what difference it would make" he sighed and I frowned at him questioningly, "-you wouldn't believe me anyway" he stated and I walked closer to Dean, who was standing slightly behind Sam before shrugging.

"Try us" I stated, watching him carefully and knew that he must've saw something on my face that made him think twice about that fact that we 'wouldn't believe him' which was a good start I suppose.

"Mr Shaw, what did you see?" Sam encouraged, taking a seat across from the man on the table that stood there, resting forwards on his knees slightly to make his position more comfortable. The man hesitated momentarily.

"Nothing. It moved too fast to make out anything clearly and it hid too well. But I heard it, a roar like no man or beast I ever heard" he stated and Sam nodded slowly.

"It came at night?" he questioned, just to check and Shaw nodded.

"It got inside your tent?" I asked and the old man frowned slightly before shaking his head.

"It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in, but it didn't smash any windows. It unlocked the door. You heard of a bear that could do that?" the man shook his head, obviously a little caught up in his memories, "-I didn't wake until I heard my parents screaming" I held back a shudder, walking a little closer to Dean as I found that I was able to empathise with this man easily. It was horrible hearing your parents scream as they were killed.

"It killed them?" Sam asked.

"Yeah dragged them off into the night" he replied, before shaking his head.

"Why it left me alive I'll never know" he sighed and I frowned, before swallowing at the wave of guilt that settled in my abdomen, before disappearing just as quickly as it came as Mr Shaw looked up at us.

"It did leave me this though" he stated, grabbing the neckline of his shirt and yanking it down, revealing the marred flesh on the left side of his chest, in the shape of three claw marks.

"There's something evil in those woods. Got to be some sort of demon" Shaw stated and I bit my lip as I thought. Nope, definitely not a demon, but whatever it is, is definitely something evil.

"Thanks for your help" I stated, sending a nod towards the old man, "-we'll see ourselves out" I finished and he nodded before sending me a small smile. I nodded once and turned on my heel, heading straight out the door and hurrying over to the Impala, where I leaned against the door to the backseat, my hand instantly reaching for the two necklaces that I kept clasped around my neck and always had done. The one pendant that I had was a family heirloom. In her dying breaths my mother told me to take her pendant, along with my sister's to keep me safe. It was made of a bloodstone crystal, green in colour with red spots, which looked like droplets of blood. After a bit of research I found that a Bloodstone gem's meaning was for power, protection and healing and this one was interesting. My mother always wore hers; she never took it off. I knew this because she would tell me stories about it when I was younger to help me sleep. When my sister and I were about a month old she had two more pendants made out of Bloodstone and gave one to each of us which we were told never to take off.

My mother's necklace was different to the ones my sister and I had in that hers was set into an oval pendant, with a slight engraving which I had never been able to figure out what it was. Some days it looked like a woman's head, others it looked like a heart or a star or even a finger print. My mother used to say that it held magical properties and was passed down to the oldest daughter through the generations, since every female on my mom's side always had a daughter as the firstborn. Most of the women had three children, a daughter, then a son and then another daughter, so my mom was heartbroken at the prospect of never having children until we came along.

The pendants that had been given to my sister and I were slightly strange. When we were younger and my family were still alive they were just a simple point pendant, a short, circular shape but one day when I was sitting in the Impala after the death of my family, while John used the men's room and Sam and Dean were arguing over something I felt the urge to play with my own pendant and when I did I found that it twisted, where the point rearranged itself so that instead of it being circular, a small line of the gem still attached itself to the chain, but the rest moved so that it had three spokes. I found that the one my sister had did the same and after gasping, Sam helped me take the three of them off and click them together. The three spokes from my necklace fastened to the back of the oval pendant that once belonged to my mom and the three spokes of my sister's pendant fastened to the other side, setting the oval of Bloodstone inside a six pointed star, which according to John when he returned to the Impala after using the men's room and buying provisions from the gas station we were waiting at, stood for the six days of creation, each point representing the six attributes of God: power, wisdom, love, majesty, mercy and justice. It had some Christian meaning relating to the Star of David apparently.

The second necklace I had was something that Sam and Dean had bought for my sixteenth birthday. Dean was helping John, which was actually more common while Sam and I did the brain work at the motels we stayed at. We were in Memphis, researching some sort of folklore to do with Banshees. I can't remember the specifics of the job we worked but there was a Banshee problem in this place in Memphis. The particular Banshee we were dealing with was the male version, and only a female could hear his calls, since the male Banshee calls out for his mate, however it also lures in human females. Little old me of course heard the call and was used as bait, during which I found this little thrift shop that sold the most beautiful pieces of jewellery and Sam and Dean let me take a peek, where I found that momentarily I was unable to hear the call of the Banshee. I found a particular piece of jewellery which was then presented to me two days later, as we were driving out of Memphis, the day which was my birthday. It was a Wiccan piece of jewellery. The chain connected to the circle in the middle of the design, with two half-moons on the left and right sides. The circle part, which looks like a full moon was made entirely out of a stone called Ruby Fuchsite and is considered a very powerful gem, linking with all of the zodiac signs. It provides one with contentment and peace, which after the death of my family, the boys pointed out that it would be helpful to offer me peace from my sorrow and grief and I have to admit that it kept me calm. When they bought it however, the woman serving them said that when this stone is given as a gift it shows friendship, loyalty and love while the Ruby part is the sign of vitality and royalty which is funny because Sam and John used to joke that Dean worshipped the ground I walked on, though he just loved me a fierce amount, possibly more than a normal brother would love his younger sister. The Fuchsite part of the stone carries the properties of intuition, inspiration and problem solving as well as linking the heart with the intellect of the mind and allowing the gift of the mind to be used in conjunction with being guided by the heart, sort of providing balance. Even after all of this time I remember them talking me through the reason for buying this particular piece of jewellery, since I had liked two. Ruby Fuchsite is made of three colours: green, red and white, where the green is the base colour and the red and white parts offer colour to the green stone. The half-moons either side were made of Tiger's Eye or Cat's Eye, which we have all used at some point to ward off evil spirits as it's a protection stone. It's also a luck stone and brings clear thinking and insight and to provide a feeling of oneness, which sort of works, I feel whole when I'm with the boys, but hollow when I'm alone, though that emptiness will always be there. My particular version of Tiger's eye is a deep golden brown colour, with bands of black and honey differing in thickness. After wishing me a happy birthday Sam helped me put it on and told me that in Pagan beliefs it was the symbol of the Goddess, representing the Mother, Maiden and Crone as well as the waxing, full and waning moons. Pagans believed it to be a symbol associated with feminine energy, mystery and psychic abilities, which looking back now is ironic considering these weird feelings I have been receiving ever since the death of my parents and sister.

"Sis" Dean said, waving a hand in front of my face and I blinked, startled out of my thoughts and he frowned at me worryingly.

"We're going to a nearby motel to settle down and get everything ready for tomorrow" he stated and I blinked again before nodding, which made him sigh and pull me to him, where I hugged him back tightly, him stroking my hair soothingly. It was times like this when I realised that I needed Dean more than anything. He kept me sane and I kept him sane, though we were nutcases every now and then.

He let me go and pressed his lips to my forehead before walking around the back of the car to hop into the driver's seat, where Sam smiled at me slightly and hugged me tightly before we pulled away and climbed into the Impala at the same time.

"You've been doing that a lot" Dean stated and I frowned at him.

"What?" I asked and he frowned at me through the rear-view before sighing and shaking his head.

"You've been blacking out a lot. And what was that today with you back at Haley's place?" he asked and I sighed, wondering how long it would be until he brought this up. I shrugged in response.

"I have a lack of concentration when we aren't active and I don't know what you mean" I replied, answering his questions which made him sigh in frustration but he let it go, figuring I didn't want to talk about that feeling I had at Haley's. And I didn't want to talk about it, because I didn't even know how to explain it without Dean freaking out on me. Heck Sam had when I mentioned it to him not long before he left for college and since then I haven't spoken or hinted at it since.

We pulled up to a motel and the boys got out, heading to the reception to book the room while I gathered their duffel bag along with my own and climbed out of the car, letting the door slam shut while I leaned against the passenger door, waiting for them to return. They did and waved me over where I hurried after them, following them down the corridor to the room they had rented out, which contained twin double beds.

The walls were a bland dirty cream type colour, with a blue border running the length. The twin, double beds stood on the right as you walked through the door and a small television set sat in the left with a wardrobe, chest of drawers and mini fridge placed along the wall as well. A door stood at the far end, presumably leading to an en-suite, but it was clean which was okay.

"I'm going back to the car to get supplies ready" Dean stated and Sam and I nodded, standing to follow him back to the car while I thought about what it could be.

"It can't be spirits or demons" Dean nodded and I realised I'd spoken out loud. He nodded before frowning in thought.

"Well they don't need to unlock doors. If they want to get inside they just go through walls" he shrugged and I nodded in agreement.

"So it's something else then, something corporeal" Sam stated and I turned to look at him.

"Corporeal? Excuse me professor" Dean replied and I snorted a laugh as Sam frowned at us.

"Shut up. So what do you think?" Sam replied and I frowned in thought.

"Well the claw marks it left say something. Skin walker, back dog maybe?" I questioned, listing a few things that I knew off the top of my head would leave claw marks- such as the ones on Mr Shaw- behind. Dean nodded in agreement as we walked closer to the doors opening onto the parking lot.

"Whatever we're dealing with, it's obviously a creature. And whatever it is, it's corporeal" Dean stated and I smirked at Sam who rolled his eyes, "-which means we can kill it" Dean carried on, oblivious to the teasing looks I was sending his younger brother. I nodded in response as we approached the Impala, where Dean produced the key and stuck it into the trunk, twisting before pulling the trunk open. He then moved the fake top of the trunk and propped it up with a gun where he produced a duffel bag and starting throwing a few guns inside.

"We can't let that Haley girl go out there" Sam stated, leaning his weight on the trunk to look at Dean better. He placed a few more guns inside the bag and zipping it up before looking up at his brother.

"Oh yeah? And what are we going to tell her? That she can't go out into the woods because there's a big scary monster out there?" Dean replied sarcastically and Sam shrugged.

"Yeah" was his reply and I snorted in reply as Dean frowned at his brother.

"Her brother is out there Sam. She's not gonna just sit this one out" Dean stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was actually considering they were brothers and I knew Dean would do anything for Sam, just like I would do anything for them, and we weren't related.

"I agree with Dean, look Sam the best we can do is go out and protect her and keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy best friend" I replied and Sam snorted before looking between us.

"What so finding dad isn't enough?" he asked, pushing himself so that he was standing straight.

"Now we have to babysit to?" he asked as Dean and I stared at him in disbelief. Did he really just say that? Was he so hell bent on revenge that he couldn't see innocent people needed our help, when he knew for a fact that there was something out in those woods that needed to be stopped? Who the hell was this guy?

"What?" Sam asked, looking back and forth between Dean and myself. I clenched my jaw, shaking my head at him in disappointment before turning on my heel and walking away as I heard Dean reply with a simple 'Nothing'.

The trunk slammed shut and I heard Dean's footsteps following after me, but I kept my jaw clenched, frightened that if I opened my mouth I would say something that would sting Sam and therefore making me regret my sharp tongue later on. He was still grieving and I knew that, hell it would take him a while to get over it, especially since he seemed like he loved Jess immensely, but he needed to get a grip, because this was not the Sam Winchester that I knew. Loss changed people, but I would've expected Sam to change the least in that sort of situation.

The Impala pulled up the dirt trail to the opening of the forest and I saw that there was already a truck waiting here. I recognised Haley and her brother, who according to the boys was called Ben, and there was another guy, older than all of us, looking very stern with hiking boots, shorts and a sweater. His hair was cropped closely to his head and his jaw was square. He was obviously the guide that Haley had mentioned she'd hired, I just hoped he knew how to use the gun that he was carrying, slung across his left arm. The three of them turned to us, watching as the Impala slowed to a stop and Dean shut off the engine, the three of us climbing out.

"You guys got room for three more?" he asked, slamming the door shut behind him as I walked over and handed him the bag he'd kept in the backseat next to me, before throwing Sam's to him. He caught it as it thudded against his chest. The asshole!

"Wait you want to come with us?" Haley asked and I frowned at her before shrugging.

"Sure why not?" I replied and she shook her head.

"Who are they?" the guy asked and Hayley visibly sighed.

"Apparently it's all the park Rangers could muster for the search and rescue" she replied, seemingly bitter. The guy turned to us with a snort as Sam sighed and walked past the guy, heading further past Ben.

"You guys are rangers?" he asked in disbelief and I grinned at him.

"That's right" Dean replied and the guys turned his attention to me, to which I shifted my stance and stared him straight the face, something which John, Dean and Bobby taught me and used to lecture me about. Apparently I should always stay strong and look confident, even when I wasn't, but I had to be careful especially around male Hunters because some were sexist oafs and when they realised I could beat their asses, well they became a little funny. I had one grope me about three years ago, to which I threatened to slit his throat. It wasn't my fault, it was my time of the month and I turn into a right bitch. Dean just laughed at how pathetic the Hunter became when I threatened to slit his throat. None of them bothered me for the rest of the night, but sometimes I acted too much like a guy- it's what came out of being raised by three guys for twelve years of my life though- and so some Hunters took it as a challenge, which wasn't always a good thing, and that's saying something considering that I'm competitive. The guy frowned at me before sending me a smirk.

"This isn't some sort of game. You should go back home girlie" he taunted and I felt Dean move closer to me.

"Look man, I've been shooting guns since I was in diapers. Just because I don't have a dick doesn't make me any less than you, besides my non-existent balls are about double the size of your real ones" I replied, sent him a sweet smile before walking past him and standing next to Ben who smiled slightly as Dean scoffed a laugh. Haley looked at me and smiled before turning back to Dean and assessing him.

"You're a ranger and you are hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" she questioned and Dean looked at her.

"Oh sweetheart I don't do shorts" he replied, walking past her.

"Do you think this is funny? This is dangerous backcountry and her brother might be hurt" the guide person said and Sam stopped where he was a little further ahead, turning to look back at the guy and I could tell he was a little pissed at how the guy was underestimating us. Dean looked back and shrugged.

"We know how dangerous it can be, we just want to help them find their brother. That's all" he stated and heading towards where I was standing, before nudging my shoulder affectionately, telling me in his own way that he was proud of how I stood up for myself.

"I bet you have the legs to pull off shorts though Dean" I replied with a shrug and he grinned at me, sending a wink my way before focusing back on the trail we were following. Sam carried on further ahead of us as Dean and I walked side by side for a little while.

I felt light headed all of a sudden, before I had a weird feeling where my body carried on hiking and climbing over fallen trees trunks, stepping out of the way of roots and finding my way easily across the at time rocky pathway, but my mind and conscience were elsewhere. I almost felt as though I wasn't in my own body, it felt as though I wasn't controlling my own body. Black spots rose up in my vision, but still I walked on.

I blinked and shook my head to disperse the spots and when my vision cleared, I gasped in surprise, shock and fear. I was still aware that I was walking, but the image in front of me was not that of the forest we were manoeuvring and Dean was no longer by my side. Instead I was underground, and judging by looking up at the little hole in the rocky ceiling it was at the bottom of some sort of mine shaft. A noise from my left alerted me to the fact that I wasn't alone, like I had first thought and as I headed over I saw two guys, strung from the ceiling, both of them aware and alive. One I recognised as Tommy, though he was looking a little worn out, scared and dirtier than what he had in the video and pictures we'd saw. His other friend had a bandana pushing his hair back and a red coat with jeans on. He was pretty good looking and he was looking my way, but his eyes weren't focused on me, but on something behind me. He started struggling and whimpering in fright as I turned to look over my shoulder, but before I could something walked straight through me and I shivered, focusing back on the fact that the creature had just walked through me and was heading over to the guy's direction. Tommy twisted around, his back facing his friend, as the guy's cries became louder with fear and then turned to screams of pain, as the creature ripped into him. Whatever it was, it had a human like form, so that crossed off spirits, since it was opaque and wasn't flickering in and out of view like a crappy television set and I knew that it wasn't a demon because it didn't give off the same cold feeling.

I bumped into something, shaking myself out of the image and I stepped back to see that I had bumped into Dean's back, who was being held by the guide. He looked a little annoyed as well as amused, as though he knew something that Dean didn't.

"What'cha doing Roy?" Dean asked him and I noticed the stick he was holding in his hand before poking something on the floor, just a few inches from Dean's foot. It snapped up and I saw that it was a bear trap.

"Watch where you're stepping. Ranger" the guide, whose name I now knew was Roy- I don't pay attention to minor details like names- said before throwing the stick aside and carrying on walking, taking up the lead once again.

"It's a bear trap" Dean stated stupidly as Haley caught up to us, but I couldn't look at her so I fell back, far enough so that I wouldn't have to make conversation but close enough that I could hear their conversation.

"You didn't pack provisions and you're carrying duffel bags. You're not rangers" she said to Dean as she caught his arm, pulling him to a stop.

"So who the hell are you?" she hissed as Ben and Sam caught up to us. Sam and I looked at Dean carefully who told us to carry on without him with his facial expression, something telling me that he was going to be halfway truthful with her. Sam and I nodded, walking off with Ben nearby, as we tried to catch up to Roy who was waiting a little further up for the rest of us.

The exchange didn't take long and soon enough Dean appeared with the peanut M&M's he'd packed as provisions in his hand. I pulled a face and he stuck his tongue out at me, bits of the shell along his tongue. I rolled my eyes at him and pulled out my own bag of M&M's but mine were just the chocolate versions because I thought the peanut ones were gross, which of course meant Dean had to argue with me when I told him years ago that I didn't like those. I apparently had strange taste-buds.

We carried on walking, Sam now following Roy with Ben behind Sam and Haley behind Ben while Dean and I brought up the rear.

"Here we are, Blackwater Ridge" Roy stated coming to a standstill as Sam walked past him a little further.

"What coordinates are we at?" Sam asked and Roy pulled out the GPS from the pocket on his shorts.

"Thirty five and minus one eleven" he replied and I looked at Dean as he looked at me, the two of us hurrying over to Sam. These were the coordinates that John left Dean in his journal, so there was something here but I doubted it was him. I believed it was just something John had found, knowing it was a case but whatever he was working on that made him leave Jericho in the middle of a job was too important to give up and so he'd wanted Dean to sort it out. I frowned, listening carefully.

"You hear that?" Dean asked the boys quietly and they both nodded.

"Yeah, not a sound. Not even crickets" Sam stated, which was showed something was slightly wrong. A place as remote as this, out in the middle of the woods, there was bound to be some sort of noise from the wildlife, but the fact that it was deadly silent proved something was up.

"I'm gonna take a look around" Roy stated and I snorted.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You shouldn't go off by yourself" I stated and Roy turned back, smirking at me and I frowned at the impression he was giving me, almost as if he felt he was right for saying I should've stayed home, because this adventure was too scary for me. Yeah scary my ass.

"That's sweet, you don't need to worry about me" he replied, waving his gun at us in an 'I have a gun, therefore I have this' kind of way, which only frustrated me more. He pushed past Dean and myself and I glared at his back.

"It wasn't you I was worried about. I didn't want to risk my ass to save yours, you fucktard" I sighed and Dean grinned at me before turning back to face Ben and Haley, who I was guessing had just caught up to us.

"We should stick together from now on. Let's go" Dean stated and Haley, Ben and I nodded at him as he turned and followed after Roy and Sam, who I could see disappearing through some nearby trees.

We walked for a little while longer until we came to a small clearing, where a large boulder stood, near to a circular trunk which had either been cut in half, either from lumber jacking or some other reason. Sam, Dean, Haley, Ben and myself were currently searching the area around but I walked further away, getting a bad feeling the further away that I moved. I dropped my duffel to the floor as Haley sat on the boulder, where Dean climbed up next to her while Ben leaned against a nearby tree. Haley took out a bottle of water from her pack and took a long drink before handing the bottle to Dean who also took a long drink. Hmm, so that's another girl Dean had swapped spit with, unintentionally this time.

"Hey what's this?" Ben called and Sam and I walked over to see what he'd found.

"That's a hell of a find Ben. That's an Anasazi drawing" Sam stated and I heard movement behind me, making me look up to see Dean approaching us.

"What's that?" Ben questioned.

"They were Ancient Indians. A whole tribe that just vanished, though no one knows why" I replied, answering Ben's question, even though he'd aimed it at Sam. We looked back at the stick figure that had been engraved on the side of a tree and I tilted my head at the familiarity.

"I've seen that somewhere before" Sam stated, a crease in between his eyebrows as he frowned. I felt the same, but I couldn't think where I recognised it from.

"Haley! Over here!" Roy's voice called and Haley and I rushed in the direction of where his voice came from, walking into a small clearing with trees running the length of the camp, where two tents stood, each of them covered in blood. I sucked in a breath as I heard the other three run through the trees behind me.

"Oh my god" Haley gasped. I felt my heart squeeze for her, though I knew that Tommy was alive for now, but I wasn't sure how much longer that would last and I knew she must be scared out of her mind not knowing what to expect.

"Looks like a grizzly attack" Roy said and I rolled my eyes at him, though he couldn't see since he had his back to me. Though he had a point, it did look slightly like the camp had been bombarded by a grizzly or two. Haley let her sack drop to the floor.

"Tommy" she called out and I cringed at the sound of her voice echoing slightly as I saw Sam move over out of the corner of my eye.

"Tommy!" she yelled again and I shushed her worriedly.

"Tommy!" she screamed.

"Shh, shh" Sam said, placing a hand on her arm.

"Why?" Haley asked and I heard the slight desperation in her voice.

"Because something might still be out there" Sam stated and I bit my lip at that idea. Sam had a point but I didn't think it was anywhere near us just yet.

"Sam! Ali!" Dean called and we hurried in the direction of his voice, Haley, Ben and Roy following behind us.

I saw Dean crouching near to something on the ground just outside of the camp. Sam walked over and crouched next to him, snapping a twig underfoot as he did so, as I walked and stood behind them, looking down at the ground and frowning.

"The bodies were dragged out of the camp" Dean stated and my eyes followed the marks before I frowned harder. I was going to give myself permanent frown lines soon.

"But the tracks just end there" Dean said, pointing out where the tracks ended, something I had noticed a few seconds ago myself.

"That's weird" I stated as the boys straightened out of their crouches.

"I'll tell you, that's no skinwalker or black dog" Dean stated as the three of us made our way back into the campsite.

Dean walked over to where Haley had crouched down, she had something in her hand as was making a sort of whimpering sound. I walked a little closer to see that she was holding a cell in her hand, which was covered in blood, that she turned around, showing that the back of the phone had come off and the battery was hanging out slightly. Dean crouched beside her and murmured something but I wasn't paying attention, instead I'd spun around, looking at Sam with wide eyes, making him frown in return as my skin started to become prickly.

"Help!" someone, a male shouted and everyone straightened up.

"Help!" the voice shouted again and we all took off in the direction that the voice had been coming from, which was a few feet away from us, in the direction I had been looking in. I ran just behind Roy, who looked like he had his gun ready just in case, but when we all slowed, we saw there was no one near.

"It seemed like it was coming from here didn't it?" Haley questioned and I nodded at her before shrugging. This was the direction we had all run in, so six people couldn't be wrong, could we? And I'd had one of my weird feelings about this direction in particular.

"Everyone back to camp" Sam stated and I frowned at the change in tone in his voice before he rushed back, the rest of us following in the direction of the camp, arriving to see that the packs we had dropped down around the area had disappeared. I frowned at this and looked at the boys, seeing that they had come to the same conclusion I had.

"Our packs!" Haley gasped and Roy groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

"So much for my GPS and satellite phone" he said out of frustration.

"What the hell is going on?" Haley asked.

"It's smart, it wants to cut us off so we can't call for help" I stated and Roy frowned.

"What are you talking about? Do you mean some nutjob out there stole all of our stuff?" he asked and Sam walked over to Dean before they walked off. Dean frowned and motioned for me to follow them with his head. I turned to Roy and sent him a knowing smile.

"Perhaps, though I doubt it" I replied before following after them.

"Let me see dad's journal" Sam stated, holding his hand out to Dean who reached inside his jacket as I approached them. Dean placed the journal into Sam's outstretched hand where he started leafing through the pages as I stood beside Dean, looking at Sam curiously.

"Alright, check that out" Sam stated as he stopped on a page and handed it back to Dean, where I also peeked at the page and shook my head.

"A Wendigo?" I asked and Sam nodded which made me frown.

"Come on dude, that can't be right. Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods, or northern Michigan, I've never heard of one this far south" Dean said.

"Think about it guys, the claws, the mimicking a human voice" Sam listed the facts and I sighed, realising that he had a point and the figure I saw in that weird scene looked like a Wendigo now that I thought about it. I nodded in response and Sam smiled at me slightly as Dean removed the gun from the waistband of his jeans. I frowned at the page in the journal and saw that the picture John had drawn in here was exactly the same as the Anasazi drawing that Ben had found carved into a tree. Perhaps it was a Wendigo then?

"Great, then this is useless" he sighed and Sam shook his head as he handed John's journal back to Dean for safekeeping. Dean took it off him and placed it back inside his jacket as Sam fixed Dean with a pointed look.

"We need to get these people to safety" Sam stated before turning and heading back to the camp. I looked at Dean and he sighed, looking back at me before shrugging and heading after Sam.

"Alright listen up, it's time to go. Things have gotten more… complicated" Sam announced to the rest of the group as Dean and I walked back in behind him. I frowned at his abruptness. I appreciated the fact that he was worried about them getting hurt, but didn't he know by now that Haley wouldn't budge? She was dead set on finding Tommy and leaving with him. She wouldn't do that until she found him and brought him back, dead or alive.

"What?" Haley asked as Roy rolled his eyes.

"Kid don't worry, whatever's out there I think I got it" he said and I snorted. What a douchebag!

"It's not me I'm worried about. If you shoot this thing, you're just gonna make it angry" Sam replied and I rolled my eyes, staying quiet in my place standing next to Dean but I really wanted to knock Roy on the head with something hard because he was just a pain in the ass, thinking that because he could shoot a deer or something that he was the dog's bollocks. Fucking assbutt! I hate cocky pieces of shit, though Dean doesn't count, cockiness is how he copes most of the time. Plus I'm biased because I love the turd.

"One you're talking nonsense, two you're in no position to give orders to anybody" Roy argued back and I sighed, rolling my eyes again.

"Okay relax" Dean interjected, but no one paid him any notice.

"We should never have let you come here in the first place alright? I'm trying to protect you" Sam stated and I could tell by his stance and tone of voice that he'd had enough with this. With this job, with Roy and having to 'babysit' as he so politely put it last night. I took a step forward warningly as Roy stepped closer to Sam and while I wasn't worried that Roy would do anything to Sam, I couldn't help the protective instinct that reared up telling me to push the guy away from my boy.

"You protect me? I was hunting in these woods when your mommy was still kissing you goodnight" he replied and I snorted a laugh.

"I thought you were old" I said, stepping closer to them and placing a hand on Sam's arm, hoping to calm him down.

"Look at it like this Roy, we're not doubting your abilities to hunt. For all we know you could be perfect and have won trophies and shit, but this thing is a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, than all of us and it's even better at night" I stated and Roy sighed as I pushed Sam back a step, placing my foot in between them, ready to wedge myself there if I needed to. I saw that Roy looked amused at this but nodded.

"Yeah, we're here to stop it from hunting you down and eating you alive and the only way we can do that is to get your sorry ass out of here" Sam spat and I groaned in annoyance, turning to look at him but he ignored me, obviously not caring.

"You're crazy, you know that" was Roy's reply after he snorted at Sam's response. I sighed again.

"Yeah you ever hunt a wen-" Sam began but I pushed him backwards, using all of my strength as Dean gripped his shoulder.

"Roy!" Haley called.

"Chill out" Dean instructed while Sam looked down at me, a frown on his face.

"Stop. Stop it! Look Tommy might still be alive and I'm not going to leave without him" Haley stated and I nodded at her.

"We got your back. Don't worry" I replied with a nod and she smiled kindly at me before nodding and walking over to Roy who was glaring at Sam. I breathed in and out deeply through my nose before looking up at Sam, blocking his path so that he couldn't walk off to the rest of the group. Dean shot me a look from Sam's left but I ignored him, having eyes only for Sam because I was pissed off enough as it was, my nerves were strung thin, I was on edge and my headache was coming back. I poked Sam in the chest and he blinked in surprise as I unclenched my jaw, fixing him with a stare.

"Fucking get your head in the game Sammy. Look, I know you're having trouble coping, it's written over your face and I get it, but this isn't you. You don't pick fights with civilians and you sure as hell don't act like you have something stuck up your ass. So take whatever it is out and focus. I love you to bits Sam and you know I will always have your back and so will Dean, but don't you dare put your brother in danger because you couldn't care less about what happens to you. Don't you dare put revenge or everything else before the safety of these people, yourself, Dean and even me. We are family and we will work this out together, like we always do, we are here for you and we will be until the end so stop acting like some stuck up fucktard and please stop letting everything but rational thought control you in general because nothing good will come of it. You need to let all this shit go" I hissed before walking away, my hands scrunched into fists so tight that I knew I would probably draw blood. Jesus, I'd never known Sam to be like this ever! He never got up in people's faces, choosing instead to fight with whatever we were going to kill on that particular job and he would never… ever do something if it meant placing his brother and myself in danger, not that I give a shit about what happens to me just as long as my boys are safe. It's why I have stayed so long. I have nowhere to go, no family and I'm way too attached to John, Dean and Sam. I've always called Dean and Sam my boys because I love them and it's how I feel plus the fact that I become ridiculously protective over them to the point where leaving them would end up killing me because I would be worried sick, to the point where I wouldn't be able to sleep or eat or function properly. They are my life, Hunting is my life and the fact that Sam's emotions are now too overpowering for him is scaring me because I know that nothing good will come of it, just like I said to him. Nothing good ever comes out of letting emotions and your heart rule over rational thinking, logic and your head. I've seen and witnessed this over the years, heck acting like that got me in trouble a lot for the first two years or so. I didn't care what happened to myself and risked the Winchesters getting hurt because of me.

I took a deep breath and faced everyone, going into Hunter mode as a way to keep myself busy, plus the fact that it kept me from regretting what I'd said to Sam, which I already did but the truth was a painful thing.

"This thing is a great hunter during the day, but an exceptional Hunter at night. We need to settle down for the night and protect ourselves" I stated and Haley, frowning, turned away from where Sam and Dean were stood to look at me.

"How?" was all she said. I glanced at Dean and he nodded stiffly, his expression telling me that he wasn't too pleased with me at the moment, but we'd work it out, we always did.

"One more time, that's-" Haley questioned from near the campfire behind me.

"It's an Anasazi symbol. It's to keep the Wendigo at bay and let us keep our skins" I sighed, straightening up from where I had been drawing a circle in the dirt on the ground. They were a type of rune, made specifically to keep Wendigos away from town and protect the townsfolk when they were the creature of the night that everyone was scared of and locked their doors and drew circles against. Roy snorted from behind me and I turned to look at him as Dean walked away from a circle he'd finished drawing to my right.

"No one likes a sceptic Roy" was all he said as he walked over to where Sam was sat on a log at the edge of camp. Roy, Haley and Ben were seated around the campfire that they'd helped build a few hours ago when the light started receding. After telling them that we needed to make camp for the night, Dean and Sam decided that in order to keep these people safe we needed to tell them about what was out there. If knowledge is power then the knowledge of the fact we are against a Wendigo and what they should expect from it was a way to make sure that they knew we were serious and therefore give them the power to kill it. Roy, being the nit he is, just laughed and I nearly twisted his balls off, but managed to keep my temper under control. I froze, my skin becoming prickly again.

I bit my lip as a way to keep myself focused, a bad habit I had acquired over the years but it worked. My eyes scanned over every inch of tree that I could see in the light of the fire, but the fire didn't reach very far and from what I could make out nothing was there. But Wendigos were fast, so fast that most times the human eye couldn't detect anything, unless you were a trained Hunter and knew how to react. I shivered, feeling the temperature drop slightly as night closed in, but I remained rooted to the spot, scanning the area once again, but my skin retained its prickly sensation, showing no signs of disappearing anytime soon. But all of my senses were hyper alert so I wasn't too worried just yet, but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, a tightening of my muscles which grew slightly as every minute ticked by. After a final sweep of the area I decided that I'd been thorough enough with my studying, so I walked over to the fire and stood by it, warming my slightly cold hands a little. I shifted my weight before looking over my shoulder and to the boys, seeing they were involved in a conversation which was good because I knew that Sam was telling Dean that he wasn't fine, something which Dean and I had known this past week, without needing Sam to tell us or lie to us to try and avoid talking. I understood what he was going through though. I bit my lip and sighed again as Haley looked up at me.

"The three of you seem close?" she questioned and I smiled at her, nodding before glancing at them over my shoulder and sitting down on the log next to her since she moved up to give me room to sit down, Ben was sat on her other side with Roy sitting on an adjoining log.

"Yeah well they are the only family I have" I shrugged and she frowned at me so I sent her a small smile in return.

"My dad knew Sam and Dean's dad, they sort of grew up with each other and lived next to each other so I grew up with them sort of. When my parents and sister were killed when I was seven, they took me in and I've been with them ever since. They are my brother and best friend" I shrugged. I always called Dean my brother and he always called me his sister, but no matter how fond I was of Sam and no matter how much I loved him he was just my best friend who I'd know my entire life. I had never thought of him in a brotherly way. Haley frowned before nodding and I smiled.

"You're wondering why I didn't tell you?" I asked and she sighed before shrugging.

"Well it's a pain in the ass trying to explain things. It's just easier to say I'm their step-sister. That way I'm family but not blood related which is how it is" I replied and she smiled slightly.

"It's complicated?" she asked and I grinned in response.

"What about you and your brothers?" I asked and she smiled slightly.

"We are pretty close. Our parents died nearly a year ago and it was a bit of a blow. Since then Tommy and I took on the roles of looking after each other. I just really hope he's okay" she sighed and I frowned in response.

"What does your heart say?"

"It says that he's alive. But my head tells me to be rational" I nodded at her reply.

"That's how things work, especially after facing a tragedy. You try to protect yourself from the pain happening again, so you are in conflict constantly." She nodded at this before wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"If Ben had been born a girl, I would've wanted a sister like you" she said and I smiled, hugging her back.

"Thanks Haley" she smiled and nodded before gesturing in the direction of the boys.

"Now go and fix things" she said and I frowned, which made her laugh slightly.

"I noticed how strained things were between you and Sam. The two of you need to find a middle ground" she said and I sighed, before getting to my feet and shrugging.

"I was harsh with him and now I wish I hadn't been. He went through something recently and it wasn't fair of me to snap at him like that, I know how hard it is to deal" I frowned and she nodded.

"Tell him that then, because it's obvious that you are sorry" she said and I nodded before hesitating and she snorted, pushing my hip to make me stagger forwards a step where I caught myself and carefully walked over to them, where they looked in the middle of a conversation. I bit my lip, hesitating since I didn't want to interrupt but they both looked up.

"Hey, mind if I join?" I asked quietly and they both shook their heads where I nodded as Dean moved back to the log, since he had been crouching in front of Sam, holding John's journal between the two of them. I sat down next to him, looking down at my hands briefly. It went quiet for a while and I looked up, seeing that Sam was looking everywhere but at me.

"I was wrong Sammy" I sighed and his attention snapped to me. I scrubbed a hand over my face before looking down at my hands in my lap.

"I was wrong to say those things to you and I was unfair. I'm so sorry" I sighed and he smiled slightly before shrugging. I sighed, knowing he hadn't forgiven me yet though. These boys held grudges worse than I did and aren't women supposed to be the best at holding grudges?

"I know how hard it is and I understand that you are coping anyway you know how. You are still my Sammy and I shouldn't be so tough on you. You got out of all this simply because of how tough your dad was on you, on you both and here I am being a bitch and saying shit to one person I still have in my life. There's no right reason for what I said and I understand if you seriously want to slap me now, but I just needed to apologise" I sighed, blinking away the tears. I hated seeing those I loved in pain and it hurt even more if I had something to do with that pain.

"Ali" Sam sighed and I swallowed, before looking up at him to see him looking at me tiredly.

"Get your ass here" he said and I frowned as he sent me a tiny, genuine smile that I always used to love seeing on his face. I smiled back and stood up before walking over to him where I fell into his arms. He made a surprised sound in the back of his throat, trying to keep us upright since my weight nearly threw him off the log.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" I whispered into the side of his neck and he sighed, pulling me closer where he held me tightly and stroked my hair as I sank to my knees to make it easier to hug him.

"It's fine Ali. I understand I really do, but you need to give me some time and a bit of leash. I can't get over this in a day, I was never as strong as you" he said and I snorted before pulling away and looking into his face.

"I was only able to get up in the morning on those days where it became so crippling, knowing that you and Dean would be in the room with me while John worked, knowing that you guys missed my family too and that even though they weren't here with me, I still had you guys to keep me safe and hug me when I needed it" I replied and saw his eyes water up before he kissed my head and we pulled back, where I shuffled around so that I could sit on his right hand side. I scrubbed my face and smiled at Dean, sending him a nod as he watched us carefully before smirking.

"You two finished your bonding moment now?" he asked and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Are you jealous that Sam is getting my love at the moment?" I taunted and Dean pouted playfully.

"Of course Ali" he said, the grin spreading across his features and I nodded.

"So what did I interrupt?" I asked and they both sighed before shrugging.

"We were just talking about how Sam isn't fine" Dean stated and I nodded.

"Did you finally admitted it to Dean and yourself?" I asked, turning my head in Sam's direction. He took a deep breath and nodded. Dean frowned before pointing to the journal that he was holding.

"Sam and I were discussing about how dad isn't here and about how I think he was never in Lost Creek. His journal brought us here and I think he left these coordinates to get us started. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off" Dean said and I nodded.

"The family business?" I questioned and Dean grinned before nodding. It was a running joke between Dean, John and I that Hunting was a family business. John and his boys got into it- until Sam left- and I probably would've been told about everything by my parents since Hunting was in my blood with both of them being Hunters when they were younger. Sam sighed and shuck his head and I could practically feel his heart breaking all over again.

"Dean I told you, I can't do this. I need to find dad. I need to find Jessica's killer" he sighed and Dean moved back to his place crouching in front of Sam.

"Okay alright, Sam, we'll find them I promise you that. Listen to me, you've gotta prepare yourself. This search could take a while, and all that anger, you can't keep it burning inside you over the long run. It's gonna kill you. You need to have patience man" Dean said and I nodded along with him.

"I agree Sam. You have us, we aren't going anywhere soon which is bad for you" I joked, nudging him with my arm. He cracked a smile and sighed.

"Hey, have we ever let you down before?" I asked and he shook his head to which I smiled and wrapped my arms around his right arm, where he placed his left hand over one of mine as I squeezed his arm fondly, placing my head against his arm.

"We'll be with you every step of the way" I finished and Sam nodded before looking back at Dean, a few more tears falling from his face.

"How do you guys do it?" he asked us and we looked at each other before shrugging.

"Honestly? We have each other to rely on, but there's also them" I replied, nodding my head in the direction of Haley and Ben, Sam followed my glance.

"Since our family's screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable" Dean replied and I laughed a little.

"And what also helps" Dean started, gaining Sam's attention again before smiling, "-is killing as many evil sons of bitches as we possibly can" he replied and I grinned.

"Hell yeah" I held my hand up which Dean slapped eagerly and Sam smiled, shaking his head at us in amusement before shaking my grip off his arm and wrapping it around my shoulders in a hug. I froze, my skin becoming prickly, making me jump to my feet just as a twig snapped nearby.

"Help! Someone!" the voice cried from further in the forest. My skin started to crawl and I knew I had gooseflesh along my arms.

"Speaking of which" I stated and Dean smirked in response as he and Sam got to their feet, but I saw he was sending me a weird look as he got his gun ready.

"Help!" the voice called again as Sam clicked his flashlight on, shining it around to see anything that might pass as the Wendigo as we moved back to the campfire.

"Keep calm, it's trying to draw us out so just stay put" Dean stated as I took the gun out of the strap on my calve.

"What, inside the magic circle?" Roy snorted and I gripped the gun tighter, trying to reduce the urge to hit him over the head with the butt of the gun.

"Help me! Help me!" the voice shouted and I steadied the gun as I heard growling, sounding closer than what the voice had been. I turned, keeping my gun trained on the forest as Roy lifted his gun in the direction of the forest. A gun was pointless against a Wendigo but it would buy us a few minutes if we needed it.

"Okay that's no grizzly" Roy stated and I glared at him.

"Still think we're crazy Roy?" I asked as Haley whispered something to Ben that sounded like 'don't worry you'll be fine. I promise' just as something rushed past, shaking the trees. Haley screamed loudly but the sound didn't bother me.

"It's here" Sam stated, though I didn't know who that was supposed to be for. The three of us hunting the bastard, or for the sake of Haley and Ben to make them aware so that they would stay safe.

A bang went off to my left and I jumped at the sound of the gun, looking to see that it was coming from Roy. Of course it was, Sam, Dean and I weren't stupid enough to fire at something we knew we couldn't hit yet, especially at such a distance. Roy fired another shot.

"Roy" Sam and I hissed but he grinned.

"I hit it" he replied, before racing off into the forest, in the direction he had just been aiming.

"Roy, no. Roy!" Dean yelled after him but it was too late. He groaned and turned to Haley and Ben.

"Stay here" he instructed and I nodded at him when he looked at me, telling him I would stay with them while he and Sam chased after Roy. They disappeared into the trees, out of the light of the campfire, the flashlight Sam carrying being hidden in the trees.

"They'll be okay right?" Ben asked and I nodded before smiling.

"Yeah Sam and Dean are the best at what they do, they'll be fine" I replied, to reassure Ben as well as myself. They may be the best but I still worried about them. I couldn't say the same thing for Roy though, because I knew that he was gone, the Wendigo had killed him. This was of course confirmed when Sam and Dean returned without Roy. It was going to be a long night.

I rubbed my eyes and plopped myself down on the ground in between where Sam was sitting against the remaining trunk of the tree with John's journal, and where Dean was sitting with Haley and Ben in front of the tents. Sam snorted in laughter and I turned my head to glare at him, which instantly shut him up.

"Sometimes I question whether you are human at all" he stated, loud enough for me to hear as well as Dean, Haley and Ben.

"I'm not of a morning, this is why I need my caffeine" I groaned and both boys started laughing.

"Next time we pack provisions caffeine is top of the list, in front of M&M's" I grumbled, closing my eyes a little before opening them again and sitting upright.

"Kind of runs in the family" Dean replied to Haley's question of how we knew about these sort of things. Haley looked at me and I shrugged, crawling over to them on my hands and knees before sitting down next to Dean. We'd been awake for over an hour and a half and I still hadn't woken up properly, simply because I hadn't slept properly and needed my caffeine to keep me awake by fuelling my system. Sam walked over to us and nodded.

"Hey" he greeted, to which Haley stood up followed by Ben and Dean, where Dean had to grip my arms and pull me to my feet.

"So we have a better chance in the daylight and I for one want to kill this son of a bitch" Sam stated and Dean grinned at him as I smiled, feeling myself waking up now.

"Well hell, you know I'm up for it" Dean said and clapped Sam on the arm.

"Count me in too" I said with a nod and they smiled back before Sam turned to Haley and Ben, turning the journal around so that they could look at the page Sam had opened, letting them see the page John had written on Wendigos.

"Wendigo is a Cree Indian word meaning 'evil that devours'" he stated, introducing the topic.

"They are thousands of years old. Each one was a man, sometimes an Indian or a frontiersman or a hunter or miner" Dean continued.

"So how does a man turn into one of these things?" Haley asked.

"It's always the same story. During a harsh winter the man finds himself cut off from supplies. So he turns to cannibalism, eating members of his tribe or camp to survive" I answered her question and saw that she was handling this surprisingly well as Dean picked up some of the equipment we would need off the floor that he had been sorting out earlier.

"Like the Donner Party" Ben said.

"Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives certain abilities, like speed, strength and immortality" Sam said and Haley nodded slowly, to show that she was keeping up.

"If you eat enough then over the years you become this less than human thing. You're hungry all the time" I carried on and Haley frowned.

"If this is true, then how do we know that Tommy is alive?" she asked and Dean glanced at her.

"You're not going to like it" Dean stated, glancing at Sam and I before looking back at Haley.

"Tell me" she insisted and we all sighed.

"Well more than anything a Wendigo knows how to survive harsh winters. It hibernates for years at a time but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It… it stores them so it can feed whenever it wants. Which means it will keep your brother somewhere hidden, where it is safe and dark, so we've gotta track it" I explained and saw that she didn't like the idea of it but didn't wince or anything. I also saw that she noticed I didn't say 'if your brother was alive' because I was certain he still was after the weird mirage, dream thing yesterday. He would just probably be in bad shape.

"So how do we kill this thing?" she asked and Dean shrugged.

"Well knives and guns are useless against it" he stated, before holding up the items he'd picked off the floor just moments ago, which were a can of lighter fluid, a beer bottle and a white cloth "-so basically we gotta torch the sucker" he finished, and I added a nod to the end as we waited for Haley and Ben to let that knowledge sink in. Haley nodded.

"Then let's get going" she urged, to which we all nodded.

Dean motioned us to follow him and he lead us out of the camp area, with his fire bomb thing- I had no idea what he was calling it- in hand ready. We walked further into the forest with Dean leading the way, Haley behind him, Ben after her and me after Ben with Sam bringing up the rear. There was still no sign of Roy but I knew he was long gone now. Where he was I didn't know but I knew he had been dead ever since he ran off.

The day progressed and Sam and Dean had switched places so that Sam was in front and Dean was bringing up the rear. He still held the fire bomb thing in his hand while the rest of us were weapon less and it was making me antsy, knowing that I had nothing to protect myself without making the Wendigo pissed off if I attacked it out of self-defence.

"Dean" Sam called from up the front and Dean moved out of his place to catch up to Sam.

"What is it?" he asked, moving closer to his brother, where Haley, Ben and I hurried to catch up to them. Sam was looking at the area we were now in, branches were broken and laying on the floor, there were claw marks in the tree trunks as well as blood splattered around the marks. Something had obviously happened here, the 'what' though was what would bug me. Haley walked over to one of the trees and stood underneath as I surveyed the area, feeling a little jumpy and slightly queasy.

"You know, I was thinking… those claw marks are too distinct and were to easy to follow" Sam stated and I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my skin tingle. It was then that there was a distinct growling from somewhere near us and the tingle on the back of my neck revved up a few notches as Haley frowned at something on her shoulder, before leaping away just as a body fell to the floor, where she had just been standing and as soon as it hit the forest floor, I saw that it was Roy's corpse. She lost her balance and fell onto her back as Dean and I walked over to look over to body while Sam walked over to Haley and helped her up.

"You okay?" he asked and she nodded, "-you got it?" he questioned us and Dean straightened out of his crouch.

"His neck's broke" Dean stated as Sam pulled Haley to her feet as there was more growling again, sounding closer this time around.

"Okay run, run, run, go, go, go" Dean urged and we all took off, but I didn't dig my heels in as much, worried that I would trip over a tree root or something.

In front of me Ben fell, tripping over a tree root and I rushed over to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up as Sam slid to a stop in front of us, rushing back and grabbing Ben's other arm.

"Come on, I gotcha, I gotcha" Sam stated, pulling Ben up since he was a little heavy before we continued running after Dean and Haley who had carried on so we'd lost sight of them.

A female scream echoed from in front of us and I knew that the scream could only belong to Haley.

"Haley!" Ben yelled as Sam noticed something and picked it up, allowing me to see that it was the bottle containing the arsenal that we would've used against the Wendigo.

"Shit" I cursed under my breath at the sign of the bottle but no Dean or Haley. We were too late.

"Dean!" Sam yelled in his deep voice. We looked at each other and I nodded stiffly, telling Sam that we had to move on. He nodded back in response.

"Come on Ben, we need to move" I said urging the guy forward and he nodded, walking over to me where Sam walked in front and I walked behind, boxing the boy between us as we carried on in the direction we had been planning on walking to, climbing over trees and avoiding tree roots.

"What I don't understand is that if it keeps its victims alive, why did it kill Roy?" Ben questioned about half an hour later from where he was walking in line with Sam but a little further apart as I walked behind them, looking for any signs that they may have missed.

"Honestly I think it was because Roy shot at it and it got pissed off" Sam replied as we continued looking for any signs that may show us where Dean and Haley had gone, just as Ben bent down and picked something up.

"They went this way" he stated, causing Sam to move over to him and take the item out of Ben's hand.

"Well it's better than breadcrumbs" Sam grinned, holding up the item and I saw that it was an M&M. well the crap tasting things came in handy for something, unless any forest animal took a liking to peanut M&M's. He threw it over his shoulder and we followed the trail of breadcrumbs, which took us further into the forest before emerging at one of the mines that Sam had pointed out on the 3D map.

The entrance was boarded up on one side with planks of wood, with the other being open. A sign reading 'WARNING! DANGER! DO NOT ENTER EXTREMELY TOXIC MATERIAL' was nailed to the boarded up side of the opening and Sam shrugged at Ben and myself before walking in, seemingly unaffected by the warning sign. Then again the mine probably hadn't been used in how long so there was nothing to worry about apart from the Wendigo. I glanced up and saw the 'KEEP OUT. NO ADMITTANCE' sign nailed above the mine as Sam stepped through the opening, clicking his flashlight on immediately as Ben followed after him and I entered last, following close to the boys.

Growling came from nearby and Sam clicked off the flashlight, before grabbing Ben, pushing him against the wall and keeping him there by pinning his arm across Ben's chest as I pressed myself against the wall, feeling Ben's arm pressing into my side. Sam glanced at me and I kept my eyes on his, seeing the Wendigo moving out the corner of my eye. Ben gasped and Sam and I placed our hands over his mouth. Well, Sam placed his hand over my mouth I keep my hand on top of Sam's just in case, my heart throbbing painfully in my chest in fear of being caught. I wasn't scared of the creature, just scared that we didn't have any way to protect ourselves if it found us. But luckily instead of walking down the tunnel we had hid ourselves in it took the tunnel opposite before turning the corner. I nodded my head at Sam to which he nodded back and stuck his head around the wall, checking for himself as I removed my hand and Sam removed his from over Ben's mouth, before motioning us forwards where we moved swiftly and as quietly as possible over the creaking, rotting wooden flooring.

I stepped on a piece of the floor and it groaned under my weight, so I quickly removed my foot and placed my foot elsewhere, but the floor crumbled under my weight and I lost my balance as I tumbled through the floor, guessing that Sam and Ben must've fallen through as well. I landed with a thud on the floor, hitting my head as I did so and hearing Ben and Sam meeting the floor. I groaned and pushed myself up, cringing when I saw that I'd managed to cut the side of my head on a severed bone and hearing Ben push himself backwards.

"Hey it's okay, it's okay, it's okay" came Sam's voice and I blinked, before looking over to see that Ben had leaped backwards from where he'd landed near a couple of bones.

I pushed myself to my feet, blinking slightly before turning and looking around, cringing at the movement which made my head swim but swallowing at the fact that I recognised this place from where I'd saw Tommy and the other guy yesterday when I had that weird daydream. In one corner I saw Dean and Haley hanging from the ceiling on ropes which had been tied around their wrists. The three of us hurried over to them, Sam heading for Dean and Ben heading for Haley while I tensed, waiting for any signs that the Wendigo was returning.

"Dean, dean, wake up" Sam urged and I turned to see him shaking his brother awake and breathed a sigh of relief when Dean moaned and opened his eyes.

"You okay?" we asked at the same time and he groaned, again, wincing before nodding.

"Yeah" he responded.

"Haley, Haley, wake up wake up" Ben said, shaking his sister as Sam cut Dean down, helping him sit before handing the knife to Ben which he used to cut Haley down and help her over to where we had placed Dean, while Haley tried untangling herself from the ropes.

"You sure you're alright?" I asked Dean who was wincing and making a noise, showing he was in pain. He sucked in a breath and nodded.

"Yeah, yup, where is he?" he asked hurriedly.

"He's gone for now" Sam replied as Haley gasped and pushed herself to her feet, running over to where another body was hanging from the ceiling.

"Tom" she cried, out of relief and horror.

"Tommy" she whispered, placing a hand on his cheek when she stood in front of him and he jerked awake, making her jump back and scream out of surprise before turning to where Sam and I were.

"Cut him down" she instructed, to which Sam obeyed, walking over to where the two of them were before cutting him down using the knife in his hand and I crouched next to Dean, to the two of us instantly finding a bag full of supplies. The supplies that had been taken from us.

"Check it out" Dean said, pulling out a flare gun from inside one of the bags and holding it up for everyone to see.

"Flare guns, those'll work" Sam stated, grinning with a little shrug of his shoulder as Dean laughed, spinning the gun around on his forefinger as I smiled. Well at least we had something to use against the bastard now. I nodded at the boys and they nodded back.

"Time to go" I stated and walked over to help Haley with her brother, so he could place an arm around the both of us and lean on us since his leg was in bad shape and he was covered in grime and sweat. Poor guy, this was going to have an effect on him for a while.

Sam and Dean lead us out of the tunnel and we followed after them, the two of them holding one flare gun each, but still, two were better than none. Tommy limped in between the two of us and I tried to go as quickly as possible without making him work too much since he was obviously exhausted and in pain, but the adrenaline would keep him going for now and the need to survive.

Growling echoed down the tunnel and we froze momentarily as Sam and Dean stood in front of us, on instant alert.

"Looks like someone's home for supper" Dean said and I rolled my eyes at his pathetic joke as Haley sighed and shook her head.

"We'll never outrun it" she stated and she had a point, there was no way that Tommy was running in the state he was in and I doubted Haley, Ben or I could carry him, since Sam and Dean needed to be free in order to take the Wendigo down when needed.

Dean looked back at us briefly before facing forward again and tilting his head in Sam's direction.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked and Sam's head twitched in Dean's direction.

"Yeah I think so" he replied and I sighed in worry, making Dean turn back and wink at me. He knew how I felt when he put himself in danger, which he thought was ridiculous since it was part of the job though I knew he worried about me sometimes though he would never admit it.

"Alright listen to me. Stay with Sam, he'll get you out of here" Dean instructed as Haley frowned at him.

"What about you?" she asked and I sighed quietly, making Tommy look at me since his arm was around my shoulders, meaning he felt me sighing. Dean paused, sending Haley a smile and a wink, before he turned back around.

"Alright, chow time you freaky bastard. Come and get me because I taste good" he said, walking back down the tunnel, Sam and I watching him as he went.

"I wonder how he knows that" I stated and Haley and Sam sniggered, before the latter shook his head at me and nodded.

"Okay, come on" Sam urged and I nodded, as Haley, Tommy and I started forward walking after Sam, hurrying as quick as possible but apparently it wasn't quick enough.

"Sam" I hissed, feeling the creepy feeling on the back of my neck again, this time it felt as though someone was breathing down my neck and I shivered, having to resist the urge to turn around because I knew it would throw Tommy and Haley off balance and potentially hurt the guy. Sam paused and turned to look at me, his face falling as he noticed my freaked out expression, just as growling was heard coming from further up the tunnel.

"Shit" I hissed quietly and Sam turned to us fully.

"Get him outta here" he instructed and I swallowed.

"Sam, no" Haley said and Sam fixed me with a stare, to which I responded by nodding.

"Go, go, _go_" he urged and I took a step forwards, urging Haley and Tommy to walk with me as Ben urged Haley to walk from where he was standing on her free, left hand side.

"Haley come on" he whispered and she took a step forwards. I threw Sam one last look, trying to get him to understand what I was saying and he nodded, sending me a tiny smile in response as he knew I was already worrying and I was still standing next to him. We hurried off down the tunnel and I realised that Tommy's breathing was picking up.

"Come on, come on" Sam's voice carried down the tunnel before I heard the sound of the flare gun go off.

"Sam" Haley and I called out at the same time. Shit, please let him be okay!

"Go" he said, running down the tunnel to catch up to us and we hurried as fast as what Tommy's leg would allow.

"Come on, hurry, hurry, hurry" he urged from behind us and we continued running as quickly as possible, before stumbling to a halt when we reached the end of the tunnel and saw that it was blocked off.

"Fuck" I muttered and Haley looked at me.

"You swear too much" she stated and I rolled my eyes.

"So I've heard" I replied.

"Yeah she does that a lot in order to keep herself from going crazy" Sam shrugged and swatted him on the shoulder as shuffling was heard, getting closer, the growling becoming louder and we turned, facing the tunnel. My heart crashed into ribs as my blood pumped quickly around my body, the adrenaline pumping with it.

"Get behind me" Sam said, backing us up against the wall, so that we were pressed up against the wall, since he was large enough to hide the four of us but I managed to wriggle out, so that I was standing in front of his right arm, ready to throw myself in front and create a diversion if one was needed. Sam had a better chance of getting the Collins family and himself out alive than what I did. He was a natural born Hunter, just like Dean and John were.

"Ali" he hissed but I ignored him, gripping his waist as the Wendigo moved slowly down the tunnel towards us, playing with us because it wasn't worried. We were cornered after all. My heart beat quicker and I was sure that Sam could feel it, but I wasn't scared for myself. I was never scared for myself, my fear was always for whoever was with me, scared that something may happen to them and it would be my fault because I wasn't strong enough to save them. Just like I hadn't been when I was seven.

The Wendigo grew closer and closer and I felt how tense Sam was just as I saw Dean approaching the Wendigo from behind.

"Hey" he called out making the creature turn to him. I heard the flare gun go off before the light hit the stomach of the creature and it burst into flames, making a horrible screaming sound.

"Not bad huh?" Dean asked and Sam and I snorted before Sam chuckled slightly and I turned back to the three siblings.

"Come on" I said, moving so that Tommy could wrap his arm around me again before we shuffled forwards slowly.

"How long do we need to walk until we can get a signal to call for help?" I asked and the three siblings looked at each other before Ben shrugged.

"A while" he stated and I groaned.

"Great" I sighed and Sam and Dean sniggered at my response.

"The ranger's station wasn't too far from the forest anyway" Sam said and I shrugged in response. He had a point there.

we walked back out of the opening of the mine and carefully made our way through the forest.

I watched as the paramedics loaded the stretcher with Tommy on into the back of the ambulance.

"And the bear came back after you yelled at it?" one of the police officers who was interviewing Ben and Sam asked and Ben nodded.

"Yeah it circled back around. I mean this thing must've weighed eight hundred, nine hundred pounds" Ben replied and I watched Sam nod from his place standing beside the guy and I winced as pressure was applied to my temple and forehead.

"Sorry" the guy apologised as he taped the gauze to my skin. I sighed and nodded.

"It's fine, I've had worse as a kid" I replied and it was true, I'd come out of facing off some sort of thing with worse scrapes than this and the feeling I'd had in the pit of my stomach which had grown the longer Sam had stayed with us, made me think that this wasn't the end, that things would get worse, the injuries would get worse and life would probably get worse before it got better. Before we approached that light that had to be at the end of this long, narrow, twisting tunnel.

"You know, that was a noble thing that you and your step-brothers did" the paramedic said and I frowned in confusion, wincing when the action pulled at the gauze taped to my head and he smiled at me.

"It was good of you to go out into the woods to help them find their brother. You did well" he replied and I smiled, aware of the fact that he was being nice in the hopes of getting my number or something, which wouldn't happen of course.

"Thanks, but we were just doing our job" I replied, hiding the smile which threatened to spread across my face at my own joke. He nodded in response.

"Are you finished now?" I asked and he shifted his weight before nodding and I hopped off the hood of the car that I had been told to sit on, since the ambulance was being used to load Tommy up ready to leave for the hospital.

"Hey could I get your number?" he asked and I smiled slightly before shaking my head.

"Sorry babe, we're leaving town as soon as possible" I replied, walking over to where Sam and Ben were standing slightly apart from Dean and Haley. Haley kissed Dean on the cheek before pulling away and nodding at him.

"You riding with your brother?" the other paramedic who had arrived on the scene asked Haley who nodded in response.

"Yeah" she said and the paramedic nodded before walking over to the ambulance. I followed his movement and saw Tommy looked alert on the stretcher with bandages winding around his torso, since he was now shirtless.

"Let's go" Haley said, nodding at Ben who smiled before nodding at Sam and then me. We nodded back, saying goodbye in that way. Haley walked over to us, touching Sam's arm and squeezing lightly.

"Thanks Sam" she said, sounding genuinely grateful and he nodded at her, sending her a small smile before she turned to me and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

"Thank you Ali" she whispered in my ear and I nodded against her hold.

"Anytime Haley. Look after your brother and good luck for everything" I replied and she pulled away, sending me a kind smile, her eyes showing she was touched by my words.

"You too"

She turned to Ben who held his hand up and I slapped it before they walked over to the ambulance as Sam and I walked over the where Dean was leaning on the hood of the Impala.

"Close her up" one of the men said and a paramedic did just that, slamming the doors of the ambulance shut.

"Man I hate camping" Dean said and I chuckled.

"Yeah me too" Sam said and I hummed.

"It isn't too bad. The wildlife aren't very friendly though" I said and both boys started laughing, before it went quiet for a while.

"You know we're going to find your dad right guys?" I said, feeling the need to say this, because I knew we would it would just take a while. They both nodded.

"Yeah we know" Dean sighed and Sam grinned.

"But for now I'm driving" Sam said and Dean dangled the keys before throwing them to his brother and he caught them easily before they headed to the seats in the car and I climbed into the back, settling myself in while Sam started the engine.

"Dude why do you always get people hitting on you?" I stated and Dean snorted.

"I didn't realise you swung that way sis" he said and I glared at the back of his head, to which he turned around in his seat to grin at me. I shrugged in response.

"Don't you want to know" I said and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Please I would know who rocked your boat" he stated and Sam snorted, the car rumbling to life between us as the stereo started playing Fly By Night by Rush, since Dean had been listening to the radio when we listened to music last time in the car.

"Really and how would you know that?" I asked and Dean started laughing.

"Oh please Ali don't insult my detective work" he shrugged as Sam pulled out of where we had parked the car and I lifted my brows at Dean, which made him snigger.

"I know you're still a virgin" he stated and the car jolted to a stop as Sam hit the brake in his surprise.

"What?" he exclaimed and I frowned at Dean.

"What the fuck Dean?" I asked and he grinned mischievously.

"You talk in your sleep. I can actually have a conversation with you in your sleep" he stated and I frowned before groaning and Sam looked at me weirdly.

"Ali what the heck, I know that paramedic who was patching you up was hitting on you" Sam stated, starting the car again since he'd someone managed to stall her and I rolled my eyes.

"What?" Dean exploded.

"Alright dude turn her around so I can beat the shit out of the little punk for even looking at my sister in that way" he said, slamming his fist into his palm for good measure and I rolled my eyes.

"Turn around Tarzan" I sighed and he chuckled.

"We need to get you laid" was Dean's response and I smacked the back of his head.

"Not every girl is a whore like the ones you fuck" I stated, "-some of us have class" I stuck my tongue out at him and Sam laughed.

"She has a point there man" he said and Dean hit Sam on the arm.

"Don't stick up for the little smartass" he said and Sam grinned at me over his shoulder before focusing back on the road.

"Well at least I'm not as small as your dick dude" I replied referring to the fact I'd just been called 'little' and Sam snorted a laugh.

"How the fuck would you know virgin?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm a girl, girl's talk. I happened to befriend one of the girls you slept with a year ago when we worked in Mississippi" I shrugged and Sam scoffed.

"Burn" he said and I grinned before laughing at Dean's expression and I pumped my fist in victory since he'd been left speechless momentarily before groaning when I accidentally punched the roof of the Impala. He turned to glare at me.

"You hurt my baby, I won't hesitate to cut your boobs off" he shrugged and I rolled my eyes at him before shrugging.

"Well I actually love the Impala, more than you actually" I shrugged and Dean pouted, pretending to be hurt and I snorted a laugh before scrubbing my hand through his hair.

"Okay I need caffeine and chocolate. Lots of them please Sammy" I stated and the driver laughed before nodding.

"Yes boss" he said and I grinned and Dean groaned.

"So demanding"

"Vagina remember" Sam snorted at this again before looking at Dean.

"So since the shotgun shuts his cakehole does this mean I can choose the music?" he asked.

"No!" Dean and I exclaimed.

"We are not putting the poor car through your crappy music taste" I said, sticking my tongue out at Sam which he saw through the rear-view mirror and rolled his eyes.

"Be nice or I won't stop off so you can buy shit" he replied and I grinned.

"I love you Sammy, come here and lemme hug you" I replied and they both laughed before I settled into the back of the seat, the music playing in the car which Dean turned up a little more as we continued driving along the road.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- Dead In The Water**

I sighed and continued looking through the obituaries on the newspaper that I was reading to see if there were any unusual deaths that may be something we would look in to. So far I was having no luck.

We had been driving since early this morning and had found this place called The Lynwood Inn where Dean and I had decided to go and get food since we were starving, Sam was seemingly okay with the idea. Dean and I had ordered large fried breakfasts and I had finished eating mine about ten minutes ago, while there were still bits and pieces left on Dean's plate. He was reading through obituaries on another newspaper, while Sam was using the men's room. I sighed and shuck my head before shoving my newspaper away as Dean circled something on his.

"Can I get you anything else?" a female voice asked and we both looked up to see the blonde, female waitress leaning over the counter talking to Dean, who grinned, with the pen lid still in his mouth since he'd had a habit of chewing on pen lids whilst working for as long as I could remember. It probably helped to keep him focused. I lifted my eyebrows at the waitress, who was leaning over so that Dean could see down her cleavage, the pervert, while she was obviously looking for a quickie in the toilets! Ugh it wasn't a secret that Dean liked his women, but it still gave me the creeps to think about my brother doing shit like that.

"Just the check please" Sam stated, taking a seat on the stool on Dean's left where he had been sitting previously.

"Okay" the waitress- whose name I saw was Wendy, nodded and walked away, Dean checking out her ass as she swung her hips, walking behind the counter to where I'm assuming the kitchen was. I snorted and rolled my eyes, before turning to Dean and Sam and guessing that Dean had an annoyed look on his face, not that I could see because he had his back to me.

"You know Sam we are allowed to fun once in a while" Dean stated, before pointing at Wendy, giving her a quick glance before looking back at his brother.

"That's fun" he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which to Dean, it was since when it came to women- except myself- he didn't think with his brain. Sam just looked at him and I sighed, before rolling my eyes and hitting Dean over the head. He wasn't exactly sensitive to what Sam was still going through. He'd just lost his girlfriend who he had probably known for the past four years he was at college. Dean groaned and turned to glare at me, but I shot him a pissed off look of my own and he nodded, backing down before handing the newspaper that he was looking at over to Sam.

"Here look at this" he said and Sam glanced down at the obituary that Dean had circled. "-I think I've got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Sophie Carlton, eighteen, walks into the lake and doesn't walk back out again. The authorities dragged the water, nothing. And get this, it's the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago" Dean explained and Sam frowned.

"A funeral?" he asked and Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, it's weird. They buried an empty coffin for… uh closure or something" Dean replied and I knew it sounded just as strange to him as it did to me. Why bury an empty coffin? Unless the family knew that the possibility of Sophie Carlton's body being found was low.

"Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear Dean, other people stop looking for them" Sam stated and I turned in my seat so that I could look at Sam better over the top of Dean's shoulder.

"Something you want to say to me?" Dean asked, his voice deeper than usual and I had a feeling that he was pissed off, hell I knew what Sam was going to say next, probably something along the lines of he doesn't think Dean is too bothered about looking for their dad, which is a load of shit, since I knew Dean and I wanted to find him just as much as Sam, for the reason that we missed him, whereas Sam only cared because he wanted his dad's help to get revenge for Jessica.

"The trail for dad is getting colder every day" Sam stated and I frowned.

"Exactly, so what do you want us to do?" I asked and Sam frowned at me, for some reason giving me the impression that he wanted me to shut up because this didn't involve me.

"I don't know. Something. Anything" he said and I groaned.

"Jesus Sam, we're trying our best" I said and he glared at me.

"Well obviously not as best as you can" he replied and I got the feeling that he thought we weren't even trying to look for John, unlike him since all he could think about was getting to his dad. Though I knew that he wasn't sleeping well because of those nightmares about Jess. I also knew that it was specifically that night where he saw her burn that was haunting him in his dreams. It made sense though I suppose.

"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You think I don't wanna find dad?-" Dean began and I was surprised at the frustration I could feel rolling off him in waves.

"Yeah I know you do, it's just that-" Sam tried interrupting but Dean wasn't having it and for once, I was glad he was laying into Sam. This wasn't just about Sam and his revenge plan anymore; we couldn't find anything on John. I'd tried calling him and tracing his phone, I'd tried tracking the car he'd rented but nothing came up. There was no sign of him, almost as though he'd disappeared off the face of the earth and Sam's attitude really wasn't helping. He wasn't being fair to Dean who had spent the last two years with their dad with no contact from Sam.

"I'm the one that's been with him for the last two years while you were off at college going to pep rallies" I frowned at sensing slight jealousy here. Dean had never shown signs of wanting to go to college? "-we will find dad, but until then we're going to hunt down and kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?" Dean finished, and I could see Sam's disappointment but I'm sure he knew that Dean had a point, which he did. It was then that Wendy walked passed and Dean turned to watch her. I hit his arm as Sam rolled his eyes.

"Alright so Lake Manitoc" Sam said and I smiled at him before frowning at the fact that Dean was still checking out the waitress.

"Hey!" I exclaimed and he blinked turning his attention to me, before I nodded at Sam and Dean turned his head in Sam's direction to listen to what he had to say.

"Huh?" Dean asked and I rolled my eyes at the back of his head, making Sam smile at my reaction slightly.

"How far?" he asked and I knew Dean was happy that Sam had his head back in the game before we got to our feet and I headed out of the door, leaving Sam and Dean to settle the check while I walked in the direction of the Impala and leant against the side, waiting for Dean to come out and unlock her, which he did a few minutes later and we all climbed in.

"Did you stay to get the waitress's number?" I asked and Sam snorted a laugh as Dean glared at his brother.

"No, Sam wouldn't let me" he huffed and I smiled at Sam he turned in his chair to wink at me. I cleared my throat and ignored the blush that threatened to spill onto my cheeks, while pushing away any thoughts of how hot he looked when he did that away.

"Nice one Sammy, I knew you were handy for something" I stated and he grinned again, before turning around as Dean glared at me through the rear-view. I smiled sweetly at him before removing my laptop from my duffel and opening it up, thankful for the USB that contained my internet, since I wouldn't be able to hack into anyone's wireless connection due to the fact that we would move too quickly.

I logged onto the internet when everything had loaded, deciding that I would find out where the Carlton family lived, to save time when we got to Lake Manitoc. And it actually wasn't that hard.

"Dean?" I asked and he hummed from the front seat.

"If we get a dull day in between searching for jobs, can you teach me how to hack into networks?" I asked and saw him frown in the mirror.

"I thought Sam taught you how to do that?" he asked and I rolled my eyes. Yeah Sam had taught me how to hack small things, I didn't need to know these things apparently since Sam was with us and could do all the geeky computer stuff. I sighed and nodded.

"Yeah Sam taught me small stuff, I mean how to hack into mainframes like get through firewalls and onto the FBI or MI6 networks. You know, stuff like that?" I asked and Dean shrugged in response before nodding.

"I suppose so, why do you want to learn now?" he asked and I shrugged in response.

"I don't know, the whole idea of why John was so adamant I stayed with him on jobs was so that I could learn from him" I replied and Sam shuffled in his seat to look at me.

"So why did you go on a job with Dean?" he asked and I knew he meant, 'why were you on a job with Dean when my dad went missing if he wanted you with him?' and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Firstly I was with Dean constantly in the last year, it wasn't some random decision for me to help Dean in New Orleans when your dad went missing, so don't start blaming me. Secondly John decided that it would be better if I worked with Dean, simply because I worried about him too much when I wasn't with him. He thought I would work better if I could keep an eye on Dean, and he knew Dean would teach me what I needed to know and what I wanted to know" I replied, making Sam shift in his seat and he sighed.

"Ali, I'm not blaming you" he said and I shrugged, but knew that wasn't completely true. I sighed and shook my head.

"It doesn't matter anyway. We all know how stubborn your dad is and if he found something that meant he had to leave the job, he would've sent me to find Dean with some stupid excuse as to why he left and why we needed to finish the job in Jericho. I'm not exactly the best Hunter to have as back-up and John knows that" I shrugged, making both boys frown at me.

"Ali" Dean began shaking his head and I snorted in response.

"If you want to know the real reason my dear brother, compared to you and Sam, well I'm not exactly the best to have on fieldwork. If I can hack into mainframes and all that crap, then I can at least be helpful in providing you with information quicker than if you had to find it on your own. I could work while you hunted" I shrugged and Dean sighed, before pulling over onto the hard shoulder of the road. I frowned at him and he nodded for me to get out of the car, so with a frown covering my face I did.

I slammed the door shut behind me as Sam got out of the car and placed his arms on the roof, leaning on them so that he could watch us. Dean led me over to a field that lay on the other side of the road, where we hopped the fence, still able to see Sam clearly.

"Dean what are you doing? We don't have time for this" I stated and he shrugged, before taking his denim jacket off and I frowned, before following his action and removing my tan leather jacket, letting it fall to the ground behind me.

"I may think you're attractive Dean, but there is no way I'm having sex with you. Ever" I stated and he grinned before rolling his eyes at me.

"That's not what this is about Ali. I want to make you realise that you're wrong" he replied and I frowned.

"What about you being attractive?" I asked and he smirked.

"No you're correct about that. I'm on about you doubting your abilities" he stated and I rolled my eyes before shrugging. What abilities would they be? I have no physical abilities really, and the only abilities I do have are my gut instincts which when up against a powerful werewolf, for example, are completely useless. Dean grinned and I sighed, rolling my eyes before standing opposite him. Well this was unfair in general, going up against Dean would be suicide if it was anything other than playful simply because Dean had skill and he was good at what he did, while Sam was also good but his height and bulkiness gave him an advantage where he may lack where Dean was good. Basically where one was weak, the other was strong, so they complimented each other easily. I on the other hand had nothing going for me. I was just the third wheel that tagged along.

"Come at me then" Dean said and I smirked at him which made him laugh and roll his eyes.

"You're a bad influence you pervert" I explained and he snorted before I circled him, but he always turned with me, facing me so that I wouldn't be able to gain an advantage by him turning his back on me.

"If you go easy on me, I will kick your butt while you sleep" I shrugged, knowing even that would be hard to do because he was alert while he was sleeping. He grinned, obviously knowing this and I shrugged, sighing before shifting my weight to my left foot and launching myself at Dean, but dropping at the last second and kicking his legs out from under him. He fell but quickly pushed himself back up and came at me where I dodged the punch he sent to my face and jumped away from the kick he sent to my side, grabbing his ankle instead and twisting so that he lost his balance and fell on his face where I straddled his waist, gripping his arms and placing them behind his back. He grunted before chuckling into the grass as I was grabbed around the waist. I let out a startled gasp and I was lifted and dropped face first onto the floor. I groaned when my head hit off the floor before turning on my back and swiping my leg out but Sam caught my legs and used his weight, to lever me up and throw me over his shoulder, but I caught myself on my hands and feet, turning to aim a kick to his side, which he blocked. I grunted and aimed a punch to his head before confusing him by changing and punching his gut at the last second. He hissed and I backed up.

"Sorry Sammy" I grimaced and he looked up before grabbing me by the waist and spinning me over his hip, where he straddled me, keeping my hands above my head. Shit I couldn't move.

"You little shit" I gasped and he chuckled, "-I thought I'd actually hurt you" I frowned and he shook his head at me, smirking slightly.

"Like you could hurt me with how weak your punches are" he stated and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Hey I'm not strong, but I'm not that weak either" I said and he frowned down at me curiously.

"Are you saying that you went easy on me?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, like you went easy on me" I stated and he frowned before shrugging.

"Touché" he said and I smiled at him.

"You two look comfortable there" Dean said and I turned to see him looking down at us, an amused expression on his face. Sam cleared his throat before getting to his feet and offering his hand where he pulled me up next to him. I glared at Dean and dusted myself down before grabbing my jacket and sliding into it, as Dean did the same while I hopped over the fence and hurried back to the Impala, the image of Sam hovering over me still playing in my head. I scrubbed at my cheeks, but that only made the burning worse. I huffed a sigh as Dean walked over, a grin on his face as he unlocked the car and we slid in.

"What was the point in that?" I asked as Sam slid into the passenger seat in front of me and turned so that he could see both Dean and myself, but I resisted the urge to look at him, since he was a pain in the ass. A hot pain in the ass, but still a pain in the ass. I mentally shook my head at myself and focused on Dean who shrugged in response as Sam laughed slightly.

"Do you not remember the exercises that dad got us to do when we younger?" he asked and I turned to frown at him before shrugging and he sighed.

"When we were just lounging around in a motel room with nothing to do, since we had a few weeks in that place to do school work before we moved on? You and I had just finished work while Dean was outside throwing a ball on one of dad's good days?" Sam asked and I frowned before smiling and nodding as I understood what he was talking about.

"Yeah Dean used to tease us constantly because we did the work. I remember the one time that John rolled his eyes before tackling Dean to the floor and we jumped on them" I grinned and Sam laughed before nodding.

"We couldn't be more than what? Ten, thirteen and seventeen?" I asked and Sam nodded. There was a three year age gap between Sam and myself and a little over a four year age gap between Dean and Sam.

"Hmm I remember some of those times" Dean stated as we passed a sign saying 'Welcome to Lake Manitoc, WI'. We weren't too far away now.

"Yeah, that was back when I would watch you and Sam" I shrugged and the boys frowned before Sam shook his head.

"Didn't dad let you join in the once?" he asked and I glared at him.

"Yeah you managed to give me a black eye and a split lip" I stated and saw him wince.

"Sorry about that" he sighed and I shrugged, remembering how annoyed John looked, but I never figured out if he was annoyed with Sam for being too rough with me, or annoyed with me because I wasn't as good as his boys physically, but academically I rivalled Sam, which was saying something because he was the smarter one out of his family.

"Yeah Sam was a little rough on that day. But sis think of it this way, dad always made sure that you stayed put either in the car or motel room. You were left to researching lore because he was scared you would get hurt. I was scared you would get hurt and I know Sammy worried too when we left you on your own. We couldn't lose you, because we are able to look after ourselves and it's because of that sexist thought process that you never got the chance to build on your basic training" Dean stated, adding a shrug onto the end of his sentence. I knew he was right about that.

"Dean's right Ali. I used to stay with you purely because I would keep an eye on you, it wasn't because you weren't valued because we knew if it came to lore research, you could do it faster than me. Your brain works quicker than ours, it's just that our reflexes are faster than yours. We were brought up on this remember? You didn't start until you were nearly nine and that was only because Dean and I argued with dad about the fact that he needed to teach you as well, that you couldn't be left defenceless" Sam stated and I frowned at him before smiling and ruffling his hair as he gave me his full attention.

"Well I appreciate the fact that I have you guys on my side" I shrugged and Sam grinned.

"Hey, we have each other's backs remember?" he said and I smiled before nodding at him.

"Yeah because we are the three badass musketeers" Dean said and I frowned at him.

"I thought you hated that movie?" I asked him and Sam frowned at his brother.

"How can you hate the three musketeers?" he asked and I snorted as I saw Dean roll his eyes in the mirror.

"Because they cannot meet up to our awesomeness. I mean seriously, what's with the feathers on their hats?" Dean tried to defend himself and I laughed slightly.

"It was the fashion dufus" I replied and he poked his tongue out at me.

"So that was why you were so against me hiding you when the Wendigo was approaching?" Sam asked, changing the subject back to what we were discussing previously and I shrugged, but looked away not able to face Sam. He sighed and I heard Dean huff.

"You thought that if anything was to happen you could use yourself as a decoy, giving Sam enough time to run out with the Collins family?" Dean asked and I shrugged before nodding.

"Yup" was all I said and I heard Sam groan but he left it at that because it was then that we pulled up to a house that faced the river. The house was green, with a faded red roof and a porch running around the front, with a window set high on the roof, in a triangle shaped design.

"The Carlton residence?" I asked and Dean nodded.

"Yup, this is the address you gave me" he said and I nodded, before we climbed out of the car and slammed the doors shut behind us. Dean motioned me forwards with his head and I walked beside him, where Sam walked on my other side, making me snort and roll my eyes at their sudden protectiveness. Nothing was going to eat me, since I wasn't going anywhere near the water, hell I didn't particularly like open water since I almost drowned three times in different lakes. I never learnt how to swim after those times because of my fear of open water.

One was due to my sister joking around and pulling me under when I was about six and since I was learning to swim, I couldn't push myself back to the surface, not having the correct knowledge so my dad had to jump in and pull me out, which by that time I'd blacked out. The other was due to the fact that I was in the ocean and a mini whirlpool pulled me under when I was nine, John had to jump in and save me, deciding that I had to learn how swim properly after that. I knew enough that I could float, but after the third time when I was twelve and there was a whack job that included water sprites and I was underwater for a whole hour while they 'played' with me, well my fear was born then. Sam placed an hand on my lower back around my waist comfortingly and led me up the stairs to the door, where Dean knocked. A young man answered the door.

"Will Carlton?" Dean asked and the man frowned but nodded. So this was the brother of Sophie? He was quite tall, built like a football player, with wide shoulders and made of muscle with short, dark hair, cropped close to his head.

"I'm Agent Ford" Dean began, "-this is Agent Hamill and Jones, our trainee" Dean began and I resisted the urge to snort at the fact that he gave me the first surname he could think up.

"We're with the UC Wildlife service" he finished, holding a badge up to Will so that he could see the fake ID that Dean had. Actually I didn't even know that he had Wildlife service badges. Then again I couldn't remember Wildlife service being something that we had used on a case before.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about your sister if that's okay?" I asked and Will turned to look at me, before nodding sadly.

He stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him, before walking passed us and leading us closer to the lake. I was aware of Dean and Sam walking on both sides of me again, the two of them knowing my fear of water was worse than my fear of heights, and that was saying something, but I wasn't too worried since I knew Sam and Dean could both swim and I wasn't going anywhere near the water unless I had to.

"So can you tell us what you saw?" Sam asked and Will nodded.

"She was about a hundred yards out" he began, pointing in the direction of where his sister had been.

"That's where she got dragged down" he said and I frowned out at where he was pointing at, but the water looked calm.

"And you're sure she didn't just drown?" Dean questioned, though we both knew that he didn't believe that, but the questions were needed just in case.

"Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake" he said. Ugh swimming!

"She was as safe in that lake as in her own bathtub" he continued and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, since that apparently wasn't true anymore as she'd gotten sucked down by Mr Big, Nasty and Evil.

"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asked and Will sighed, shaking his head.

"No that's what I'm telling you"

"Did you see any dark shadows? Strange shapes in the water?" I asked and Will shook his head again.

"No. Again she was really far out" he stated.

"You ever see strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asked.

"No, never. Why? Why, what do you think is out there?" he asked and I sighed quietly.

"We'll let you know as soon as we do" Dean replied, before turning to head back to the car.

"What about your father? Can we talk to him?" Sam asked gently, but I knew we wouldn't be allowed to, something was off about their father, and I could tell that from the distance between where we were standing and where he was sitting on a bench on the dock stretching into the lake. Will looked over his shoulder briefly at where his father was sitting before turning his attention back to us.

"Look if you don't mind… he didn't see anything and it's been kinda tough" he replied and I nodded.

"We understand, but thank you for your time" I said and he nodded before Sam and I turned to walk to the Impala, seeing that Dean had stopped while we continued talking to Will, but he carried on walking and slid into the car, while Sam and I followed behind him, slamming the doors shut where Dean then pulled off, while I looked out of the window.

"What do you think?" he said aloud and I focused my attention on him to see that he hadn't really aimed the question at anyone in particular but I felt I needed to say what I was feeling.

"I don't like it, there's something fishy going on here, pun not intended. There's something off about Bill Carlton, I don't know how or why I know I just do. But I think we need to speak to the Sheriff, see if he knows about anything and hopefully we can get the police on our side in case we need them" I rambled and Dean looked at me in surprise through the rear-view as Sam turned his head to look at me.

"What?" I asked, when they continued staring at me. Dean frowned before shrugging.

"One of your feelings?" he asked and I frowned but nodded in response.

"Yes, of course" I replied and Sam frowned at us in confusion. I sighed, deciding to explain things to him.

"A lot has happened in the last two years Sammy and it's hard to explain. But that night at Stanford when I became really ill?" I asked and saw him freeze, but I hadn't wanted to say 'that night Jess was killed' he then nodded so I carried on.

"Well I had a bad feeling about you. It's like women's intuition but a lot stronger, sometimes the feeling is so strong that it makes me physically, emotionally and mentally sick for a while until I can sleep it all off" I stated and he frowned before turning to Dean who shrugged.

"Like she said, a lot has happened in the last two years" he sighed and Sam frowned before looking back at me, realisation dawning on his face.

"So that time when you were thirteen and sleeping and moaning in your sleep about how Daniel was going to die, that was a feeling?" he asked and I frowned at him. What the fuck was he on about? He frowned at me.

"You don't remember that?" he asked and I shuck my head.

"No, I never remember what I dream about, just the emotions they leave behind, but I remember feeling sick when we met with Daniel and knowing something horrible was going to happen so I told Dean, worried that John would take a gun to me" I shrugged and Sam nodded slowly as Dean looked at me in shock through the windscreen. I knew he was shocked that first of all, I would think of John like that and secondly that I'd never told him this in so much detail before. But there was still a lot that he didn't know about me, I just didn't want him to know, though he was always as truthful as possible with me.

"You never told me that before?" he asked and I shrugged at him.

"You never believed me. Sam thought I had an overactive imagination and I was too scared to talk to your dad in case he thought something was wrong with me" I shrugged and Dean frowned at his brother.

"When did you talk to Sam?" he asked me and Sam sighed, turning to Dean.

"About ten months before I left for college. Ali came to talk to me one night when you and dad were off doing a job and we were researching. She'd fallen asleep and jumped herself awake. I thought she'd had a nightmare and she was a little hard to understand but she told me she felt sick, that something was wrong. That the creature was wrong. Then we found out that it had been the wrong thing we were hunting and that woman got injured to the point where she was put into a coma. Then Ali found something on the internet and started hyperventilating, saying that she had those symptoms. I told her not to worry that it was all in her head, but found the nightmare weird, I just put it off to the life getting to her and it was because of that, that we could've lost the woman" he sighed before turning back to me.

"I didn't believe you and I'm so sorry" he said, the guilt obvious on his face as well as in his heart. I rubbed my chest at the shooting pain and nodded.

"It's okay Sammy" I smiled and he rolled his eyes at the nickname but turned in his seat as we pulled up to the Sheriff's station and hopped out before walking through the door.

The inside was pleasant. It screamed 'safe' with a counter to the right where an officer was manning it, obviously in case someone came in with concerns, then a flap in the counter which I could pinpoint, knowing that it opened up allowing you to walk through, towards the office which belonged to the Sheriff. I saw that the officer behind the counter was wearing the Sheriff badge and I nudged Dean who nodded, obviously thinking the same as me.

"Sheriff?" he asked and the man looked up, studying the three of us before nodding.

"How can I help you?" he asked but I tuned out the introductions that Dean was giving as I studied the man in front of me. He was handsome and I guessed he was in his early-to-mid-fifties with light hair and a fair build. I sensed as soon as he spoke that there was a sense of pride, enforcement and leadership in him, but the three drowning's that had happened this year had worn him down and he was still upset about them. He knew the last two people to drown and I guessed he was close to them. They were people he had known for a while and I guessed he'd known Sophie Carlton since she was born. There was a sense of attachment and sadness at losing them.

"Now I'm sorry but why would the Wildlife service be interested in an accidental drowning?" the Sheriff asked, pulling me out of the thoughts and emotions swirling in my head and body.

"Are you sure they were accidental?" Sam asked and I blinked, clearing my thoughts and looking at Sheriff Jake who frowned at the three of us.

"Will Carlton saw something pull his sister under the water" Sam stated.

"Like what?" he questioned, leading us into the office at the back of the station, which was obviously his.

"Here sit please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake" he said gesturing for us to take a seat. I let the boys sit down as I stood behind them, placing one hand on the back of the chair Dean was sitting on and the other on the back of Sam's chair.

"There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person. Unless it was the Loch Ness Monster" the Sheriff continued and I resisted the eye roll I wanted to give him. Loch Ness was purely Scottish folklore, and had nothing to do with any lore in America since there wasn't a lake called Loch Ness in America, or at least not that I was aware of.

"Yeah" Dean said, adding an uneasy laugh to the end of the sentence.

"Right" he said and Sam glanced at Dean, though the lore about water creatures wasn't something we would dismiss since it was a possibility.

"Will Carlton was traumatised and the mind plays tricks, but still-" he began, before taking a seat on the chair behind the desk, opposite the three of us, "-we dragged that entire lake. We even sonar swept just to be sure. There's nothing down there" he finished and I bit my lip at the weirdness of the situation. But there was still room for human error and some water creatures were perfect at hiding, they possibly had places to hide in that they'd dug into the side of the lake. It was possible.

"Still it's weird though, I mean, that's the third missing body this year" Dean said, leaning forward slightly to pin the Sheriff with a look, but all he did was sigh. I could feel his sadness and grief at this and the fact that they hadn't found what was doing this to people from his town.

"I know, these are people from my town, people I care about" Jake sighed and I nodded.

"I know" I said, politely and gently simply because I did know how this was tormenting him. The not knowing was what was playing on his mind.

"Anyways…" he sighed, "-all this, it won't be a problem much longer" he stated and I knew Dean probably frowned at this, but I knew what was coming, because first of all I did a little research, plus I could see the direction in which the Sheriff's thoughts were heading.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked in confusion and I smirked slightly. The Sheriff looked at him.

"Well the dam, of course" he stated and I nodded.

"Oh right of course, it's falling apart correct?" I asked and Jake nodded in response.

"Yeah that's correct. The feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so in six months' time there won't be much of a lake. Won't be much of a town either" he said and I nodded since I already knew that.

"Exactly" I replied and touched Dean's shoulder lightly since I could tell he was surprised that I knew.

There was a knock on the door and I turned to see a woman walk through before she hesitated.

"I'm sorry am I interrupting?" the woman said as the boys stood up, though I wasn't sure if it was out of curiosity, caution or just plain manners, since I knew that they did have manners, Sam more so than Dean.

"I can come back later?" she asked and I frowned at her before smiling.

"Agents this is my daughter" the Sheriff said from behind us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean" my brother introduced himself, holding his hand out for the woman to shake.

"Andrea Barr. Hi" she replied and I stepped away from Dean and towards Sam since the younger brother wasn't giving off insane amounts of testosterone at the fact that there was a pretty woman who looked good enough to get into bed with. I shivered and felt Sam's arm brush against mine.

"Hi" Dean grinned.

"They're from the wildlife service. About the lake" the Sheriff stated and Andrea's expression fell a little.

"Oh" she said, not knowing what else to say, but her expression and body language said it all. She was sad, she'd suffered loss and was grieving. It was then that a little boy walked into the room. He was cute, with wavy, dirty blonde hair and a round, chubby face, with what look like a light splattering of freckles. He looked troubled and I could feel the turmoil within him. He was going through a lot and it was because of that and the intense feelings within him that he didn't know what to do. I felt like I needed to protect him from whatever it was that was making him suffer and that surprised me because I didn't have any motherly instincts when it came to children.

"Hey there, what's your name?" I asked, looking at the boy and he glanced at me, before turning away and walking out of the room. Andrea shot me a small smile before following her son.

"His name's Lucas" the Sheriff stated and I frowned in response.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked and I saw Andrea hand her sons some crayons out of a box before I turned to face him. He sighed and his expression looked a little defeated.

"My grandson's been through a lot. We all have" was all he said as he stood up and walked over to the door and I guessed that this was his way of asking us to leave but I frowned at the sadness and pain I could feel, but wasn't sure who was projecting it. I gulped as I realised something, these feelings and weird little things I picked up seemed to be getting stronger with each job that we did. Did that mean something?

"Now if there's anything more that I can do for you, then please let me know" he said and we all nodded as I gave him a polite smile as we followed him out of the office, Sam and I walking towards the door with Dean behind us.

"Actually now that you mentioned it" he began and I rolled my eyes at him before pausing and turning around, "-could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?" he asked but I saw that he aimed the question more in Andrea's direction. She gave him an amused smiled before nodding.

"Lakefront motel, go around the corner and it's about two blocks South" she stated and I saw Sam turn to go but knew that Dean wasn't finished yet.

"Two…" he started pointing behind himself, "-would you mind showing us?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at his chat-up line.

"You want me to walk you two blocks?" she asked and I turned to look at Sam who rolled his eyes in annoyance but I grinned.

"He's scared to walk without a woman to keep him entertained, the poor baby" I whispered so that Sam could hear and he snorted.

"Yeah, we don't fit the bill for him" Sam whispered in my ear and I grinned, but had to hold back the shiver. Dean turned to frown at us over his shoulder but rolled his eyes at my teasing smirk.

"Sure I'm heading that way myself" Andrea replied before turning to her father.

"I'll be back to pick Lucas up at three" she said to him and he nodded before she bent down to Lucas' level.

"We'll go to the park okay sweetie?" she said, kissing the side of his head and I could feel her love and worry for her young son before she turned towards us and Dean waved goodbye to the Sheriff who nodded as he followed Andrea out of the door.

"Thanks again" Sam and I said to the Sheriff before following after Dean, where we walked behind him and Andrea, purely so we could make jokes about Dean without him knowing.

"So, cute kid" Dean said to Andrea as she crossed a street, us following behind her and I looked at Sam where we both snorted at Dean's lame attempt to woo her. He was not getting anywhere near her anytime soon.

"Thanks" I heard her say and laughed quietly, knowing that she was amused with Dean and unimpressed but not interested, though I knew she probably appreciated the fact that he was good looking. Sam laughed quietly with me as well.

"This is better than television" I whispered to him and he grinned at me.

"I'm waiting for her to shoot him down" he replied and I sniggered.

"Oh trust me, I'm sure she will" was my reply as we continued to listen in.

"Kids are the best huh?" Dean as and I rolled my lips into my mouth, biting down a little to keep from bursting into fits of laughter. I saw the amused grin spread onto Sam's face and we looked at each other where I snorted and he laughed as quietly as possible. I watched as Andrea glanced at my brother but looked away, choosing to ignore him and his pathetic attempt, continuing to lead us to the motel, which looked cute with white washed walls and blue painted shutters, with a sign announcing it was the Lakefront Motel.

"There it is, like I said two blocks" she stated and Sam and I stopped, side by side, continuing to watch the exchange but I couldn't wipe the grin off my face that was there purely because I found this entertaining.

"Thanks" Sam said politely, adding a little nod to the end, though Andrea was more interested in looking at Dean.

"Must be hard" she began and I saw him look a little confused, "-not being able to find your way to a good pick up line?" she asked, before walking off.

"Enjoy your stay" she called back over her shoulder, Sam and I watching her go as Dean looked after her, baffled, before we burst into laughter when she was out of hearing range.

"Oh god, you just got shot down. I think you're losing your charm Dean" I grinned at him and he frowned at me.

"Shut up" was his clever comeback.

"'Kids are the best'? You don't even like kids" Sam said, when he stopped laughing.

"I love kids" Dean defended himself and I snorted.

"Yeah? Name three kids that you even know" I challenged and he held his hand in front of himself to tick them off as a look of concentration came over his face. Sam and I nodded before he waved a hand and led us in the direction of the motel leaving Dean there, scratching his head in thought.

"I'm thinking" he called after us.

"Yeah, yeah" Sam and I sighed before grinning at each other.

We walked into the reception which was welcoming and homey, more so than some of the shitholes we had ended up in over the years, but then again this was a tourist town, so they had to have decent facilities here. There was a young guy manning the counter as Sam and I walked up to him, which made me realise that this was the first time in a few years that I hadn't stayed out in the car while the boys sorted out the motel room.

"Double room please" Sam requested and I saw the guy frown at us, obviously wondering why we weren't ordering a queen bed on its own, but thankfully he didn't question if we were having 'marital troubles' like Dean and I had been questioned before, though it was usually the women who manned the counter that asked these questions. He handed the key over to us and we walked out of the reception and to the buildings where the rooms were, meaning we passed Dean as we walked out since he was waiting outside the reception for us. Sam dangled the keys and we walked over to the room where he unlocked the door and we walked in.

It was a pleasant room, with red patterned wallpaper and dark blue carpet. There was a table in front of the window to the left as we walked in through the door and the two double beds next to the table, with enough room to walk through of course. The en-suite stood at the back of the room, where the door was a beige colour. Dean threw the duffels on the bed since he'd gone back to the car to drive it around to the motel so we had access to everything inside, where he'd grabbed the duffels and brought them in with us.

I walked over to my bag, which was black with a few badges on and removed my black laptop which I remembered the boys buying me for my eighteenth last year from a thrift shop. I knew Dean felt bad that they couldn't buy me a brand new one, but secondhand was just as good, it worked and according to the guy selling it, it was nearly brand new, probably only been used for about a year. Now I couldn't live without it.

I sat down at the table and placed the laptop on the surface, taking my hair out and re-tying it while I waited for the system to boot, so it was a little slow but I didn't mind.

"Oh no, Ali means business" Dean teased and I stuck my tongue out at him before walking over to my duffel and taking out the notepad and pen I kept in here, and turning to a clean page before sitting back down again and accessing some wireless internet from somewhere nearby, to which I ran the code cracking system that Sam had sent for me to place on my laptop since I'd asked him to when he phoned for my birthday last year. The password cracked and the internet fired up, where I started searching for articles similar to the drowning's that had been taking place, since I found out within half a minute that the town had a small newspaper, then again the town was big enough for a small newspaper. I'd gotten the feeling from the Sheriff that there had been two drowning's this year, but according to the newspaper there had been three, as well as six drowning's beforehand.

"You need a hand?" Sam asked and I frowned, noting down the headlines on the clean paper in my notebook before looking up at him. I smiled and shook my head.

"Nope I'm fine, unless you want to help" I shrugged and he shifted his weight before sighing. I bit my lip and turned back to the different windows that I'd opened up.

"Sorry Sam, I should've made sure you didn't mind me doing this" I sighed and saw Dean shake his head out of the corner of my eye, where he was standing at the foot of one of the beds, taking pieces of clothing out of his bag.

"So there were three drowning this year" I started off, noting down the names of those victims.

"Anymore before that?" Dean asked and I heard him shake a piece of clothing out. I nodded again.

"Yup, there were six drowning's before this, all spread out over the last thirty-five years" I frowned and was aware of Sam looking over my shoulder and reading the notes I'd jotted down. I had to make notes otherwise I forgot things I researched quickly, it was how I had studied for tests as well.

"Those bodies were never recovered either" I stated and heard Sam sigh next to me.

"So whatever it is it's picking up the pace" he said and I nodded in agreement as Dean lay out some of his clothing on one of the beds.

"So what? We got a lake monster on a binge?" he questioned and I sighed before shaking my head.

"I don't know Dean, this lake monster theory. It's bugging me" I replied, frowning at the screen before looking away. Reading the articles in more depth won't change any of the information and won't make any ideas jump out of the screen at me. Dean walked over to us, where Sam moved to my other shoulder and Dean took up the place where he had just been standing.

"Why?" he asked and I shrugged as Sam cleared his throat.

"Loch Ness… uh Lake Champlain, there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts" Sam began and I nodded, agreeing with him before shrugging.

"But here? There's nothing. Whatever it is I don't think it's a water monster per se" I finished and Sam nodded, since he had been reading the articles over my shoulder, where I switched between windows so that he could read them all. I knew that just like me, he hated being in the dark about any similar deaths that had occurred before, because there were usually links.

"So whatever it is out there, there's no one living to talk about it" Sam said and I nodded, clicking back onto a different article of the _Tribune_, which was the newspaper here in Lake Manitoc.

"Wait Barr, where have I heard that name before?" Dean asked, pointing to a comment left on one of the articles.

"Christopher Barr was the victim in May" I told him, remembering that because I'd noted down the name. He was the second drowning. I froze, frowning at the screen.

"Shit" I said, clicking on to one of the windows and scrolling down to the information it had on Christopher Barr before nodding as I recalled why the name sounded so familiar.

"Christopher Barr was Andrea's husband. That's why the name sounds familiar" I sighed, answering Dean's silent question that I knew he would've asked soon as to why the name sounded familiar, before I continued scrolling until a picture popped up and I saw an image of Lucas, wrapped up in a blanket standing next to a police officer, though the officer's legs were all that could be noticed.

"He was Lucas's father. Apparently he took Lucas out swimming that day. Lucas was floating on a wooden board when Christopher drowned, two hours before the kid was found" I sighed and clicked on the image to enlarge it for the boys to see better, though my screen was perfectly fine and not fuzzy. Sam sighed and scratched his head.

"Maybe we have an eyewitness after all" he stated and I turned my head to the left to look at him before sending him a small smile.

"No wonder that kid was freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over" Dean said and I swallowed harshly, before pushing my seat back and walking over to the mini fridge in the room, taking a bottle out of the fridge and popping the top off, taking a large gulp and placing in on the nightstand next to one of the beds before turning back to the boys. I saw Dean frowning at me in worry and I nodded, swallowing the cool liquid.

"Let's go talk to him then" I said and the boys nodded.

"Didn't Andrea say she was taking him to the park at around three?" Dean asked and I grinned at him.

"You pay attention then, if the person speaking to you is someone you can see yourself in bed with?" I asked, tauntingly and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Shut up" he sighed and I grinned.

"You love me really"

"Of course I do" he replied and I laughed a little.

"Can I go on the swings?" I asked.

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because I said so"

"So?"

"Ali, you're nineteen"

"Your point being?" I replied and Dean groaned before turning to look at me from where he was walking in front of me. I stuck my tongue out at him, a frown on my face as Sam chuckled at us.

"I swear, you two argue more than what we did when we were younger" Sam sighed and I smiled at him before shrugging.

"We love each other really. Besides you and Dean don't argue much because neither of you likes arguing with the other. You're like two peas in a pod you don't function too well without the other, so you use other people to fill in the gap" I shrugged, before walking off, hearing them running after me to catch up, where I felt a hand on my arm, making me turn around to face the brothers. Dean frowned and Sam cocked a head at me. I frowned at the two of them before smiling and shrugging.

"I know you better than you know yourselves most days, how else do you think that I'm able to keep you sane? Besides you're my boys and someone has to take care of you since you suck at taking care of yourselves" I shrugged and they frowned.

"Your boys?" Dean questioned, a smug smile creeping onto his face and I grinned before shrugging and turning to walk over to the park, both of them walking either side of me so that they would be able to hear me.

"Well yeah. I can say that to any potential girls who hit on you and either tell them where to go because you're 'mine' or tell them to look after you otherwise I'll feed their breasts to them" I shrugged and Dean shook his head.

"Since when did you become so sadistic?" Sam asked and I grinned at him, though he looked a little scared.

"As long as I can remember. I've always been protective of you, I've just never needed to be. Besides Dean, how many times have you used me as a way to get out of an awkward conversation with women who take an interest in you?" I explained and Dean shrugged before nodding.

"Fair point" he said as we approached a blue bench on the edge of the playground, situated underneath some trees where Andrea was sitting down.

"Mind if we join you?" Sam asked and I scanned the playground, my eyes instantly finding Lucas who was knelt beside a bench a few yards away, obviously drawing.

"I'm here with my son" she stated, turning her attention in his direction to emphasise her point, before looking back up at us. Dean smiled and looked in the boy's direction.

"Oh. Mind if I say hi?" he asked before walking off towards Lucas and I rolled my eyes at his retreating figure.

"Tell your friend this whole _Jerry Maguire_ thing is not gonna work on me" she said and I laughed as Sam took a seat on the edge of the bench next to Andrea.

"I don't think that's what this is about" Sam and I stated at once as I walked closer to him and placed my hand on the back of the bench behind where he was sitting, before leaning my side against his. He grunted playfully and I grinned down at him.

"So how's the investigation going about the lake?" Andrea asked and I could feel that she was interested and hoping that we would find out what was happening.

"It's going at least, but nothing makes sense at the moment. Don't worry though, we're good at what we do" I replied, hopefully trying to reassure her fears that no one else will die while the lake is still there. She smiled and nodded slightly as I turned back to watch Dean talk to Lucas while he drew with the boy. But Dean was giving off a weird feeling, a slight sense of sadness, though I suppose the fact that Lucas had watched his dad die had struck a chord with Dean who I knew was old enough to remember bits and pieces of what happened the night that Mary died. I knew that it was hard having to watch one parent die, but it was worse watching two die at once, along with a sister.

Sam and Andrea stood up and I knew that Andrea was probably a bit unsure about Dean sitting down talking to her son when she didn't really know us. It was motherly instinct and I knew it was the urge to keep her son safe, especially after what had happened with losing her husband on the lake and Lucas having to witness it. I realised that Sam and Andrea were carrying on whatever conversation they had been having since I'd tuned out.

"Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me, not since his dad's accident" Andrea stated as Dean approached.

"Yeah we heard. Sorry" he said and she glanced at him, nodding before Sam spoke.

"What are the doctors saying?" he asked and she sighed, looking at Sam.

"They are saying some kind of post-traumatic stress"

"That can't be easy. For either of you" I said and Sam nodded his head once in agreement.

"We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot, but when I think about what Lucas went through, what he saw…" she paused, and I guessed she was probably going through different scenarios in her head, the same as what she probably had done ever since her husband was killed.

"Kids are strong, you'd be surprised at what they can deal with" Dean said and I nodded in response, before fixing my brother with a look, to which he ignored so I looked away and frowned when I saw Lucas walking over to us.

"He used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with most times. But now he just sits there, playing with his army men and drawing. I just wish-" she said, breaking off as Lucas walked over to us, whatever she was going to say she didn't think it was fit to say in front of him.

"Hey sweetie" she said but Lucas didn't pay her much attention, instead he lifted his arm up, handing a picture to Dean which he took off the boy.

"Thanks. Thanks Lucas" he replied, sounding as surprised as what Andrea looked. The boy looked down at the floor and walked away, heading back to the bench where he knelt back down and started to draw again.

"He's never interacted with anyone like that" Andrea said, a frown on her face, before she looked at Dean in awe. I smiled in response though she hadn't been talking to any one of us in particular.

"You just have to learn to connect with them, and get them to interact the only way they know how. For Lucas, at the moment, drawing is his way of interacting" I stated and Sam turned to look at me before he smiled. I looked away and nodded at Dean who nodded back.

"We should get going and leave you to spend some time with Lucas" Dean said and Andrea smiled slightly before nodding.

"We'll probably see you again soon" I shrugged and saw Dean smile before we walked away and I ran my hand through my bangs, sweeping them out of my face in frustration. Lucas gave off a strange feeling. He didn't feel normal like how I felt around his mother or even Dean. Sam felt a little off, compared to John and Dean at least, but I'd always put that down to him having different thoughts and ideas compared to the three of us, but Lucas was something else entirely. I couldn't put my finger on it though.

"Sis?" Dean asked and I snapped myself out of my thoughts. He frowned at me through the rear-view mirror and I focused my attention solely on him.

"Sorry what?" I asked and he sighed before shaking his head.

"I was asking you what you thought"

"About?"

"This in general" I nodded in response before shrugging.

"Well I think there's definitely something wrong and I'm scared for Lucas" I replied and the boys frowned at me, Dean through the mirror and Sam over his shoulder but I shook my head at them as we pulled up outside the motel and headed towards the room.

I sighed and flopped down on the bed, rubbing my hands over my face to get rid of the tiredness and sadness that had made its way onto my consciousness as well as my body feeling drained.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, sitting on the bed next to me, leaning forwards on his knees and fixing me with a look. I sighed and tucked stray strands of hair behind my ears and pushed myself up to sit cross legged on the bed as Dean sat at my feet. I shrugged, there was no way I was telling them anything. It didn't feel like the time to say anything to them.

"I'm just worried you know. This thing won't stop anytime soon, I don't think it has gotten what it wants and I can't help but wonder what Lucas has to do with it" I replied, adding a shrug to the end of my sentence. Both boys nodded and I was glad that they seemed to believe me, when in fact I felt this in my gut; I felt that something was off about Lucas, but then again he gone through a lot.

The problem was that I couldn't voice how I was feeling and the confusion that this cost me. Dean always said that he and Sam were freaks because of their life and the things they had done. But what they went through was nothing compared to what I went through and could do. Sam said to me earlier that my mind worked quicker while the two of them have quicker reflexes which is very true since I can process things at a faster rate and come up with a solution minutes before someone with a normal working mind can but that's because I'm good with guessing things, especially people when they are in the same room as me and I can read their body language and facial expressions. They give off a feeling that I feel in my gut.

My hand started to play with my Bloodstone necklace and I swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape at the fact that this had been a burden I'd carried my whole life. This wasn't something random that I went through and had suddenly made itself known. This happened ever since I was born, and my mom noticed it, therefore helping me train so that I could calm the feelings down, so they wouldn't overtake me and make me scream in pain like they did the once. Sam and Dean wouldn't know what happened though, they came running from their shared room when I was just over a year old and my parents said that I wasn't very well, which was slightly true. I think my dad knew that there was something about me, and it was because of this that I could sense something different, a lot different about Lucas, and whatever it was it tied him tightly to this Lake Manitoc case. We needed to end it to make sure that Lucas was able to rest properly.

"Alright, don't worry Ali" Dean began and I blinked at him as he smiled at me, "we'll gank this son of a bitch. Since when did you have motherly instincts?" he asked and I stuck my tongue out at him before shrugging.

"I don't but I have my protective instincts" was my reply and they nodded in return before climbing off the beds, where Dean went to the mini fridge to extract a beer and Sam went to sit at the table and do something on his laptop. I sighed quietly; pushing away the guilt at not telling them anything but knew it was for the best. It was too complicated to explain things especially since lots of things were happening at once, though the other things that happened had only started recently, until Sam joined us again and luckily the boys hadn't noticed my odd quirks lately, especially of a morning where I was jumpy around them. Sam sighed from his place at the table as I froze, feeling my head cloud up and my nerves started feeling frazzled. I resisted the urge to shift my weight around but concentrated on the door, where my attention was being directed. I swallowed around the nausea before turning to the guys who were now both seated at the table.

"Yeah Dean, thanks for the beer" I said sarcastically and he stuck his tongue out.

"You know where they are kept" was his response and I rolled my eyes before humming.

"I was thinking, maybe one of us should go for a drive around the town? Just to check things in case this thing does anything else?" I suggested and the boys frowned at me but I shrugged.

"What makes you say that?" Dean asked and I shook my head.

"Sorry for getting an idea that might help" I sighed and Sam sighed before getting to his feet.

"That's not a bad idea Ali" he said and I stuck my tongue out at Dean to annoy him.

"Can I borrow the car then?" Sam asked and Dean sighed.

"I suppose, if you think this is even needed?" Dean asked his brother and Sam shrugged.

"It can't hurt Dean." My brother nodded at this and threw the keys to Sam, who caught them easily and after sending me a smile he walked out of the door, closing it with a soft thud behind him.

Dean walked over to me, before plopping down on the bed next to me, so I moved and sat next to him. He looked up and smiled at me as I saw that he was studying the house that Lucas had drawn. It looked familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

About twenty minutes later, I heard a car door slam outside, followed by Sam walking into the motel room. I cocked my head questioningly but could tell that something had happened.

"So it's safe to say that we can rule out Nessie" Sam began and I frowned.

"Why, what's happened?" I asked and he walked further into the room.

"I just drove past the Carlton place" he said and I sighed.

"There was an ambulance there?" I asked but already knew that. Sam nodded.

"Yup, Will Carlton is dead"

"He drowned?" Dean asked and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, in the sink" he said and I sucked in quiet breath. Wow this was getting more strange by the minute!

"What the hell! So you're right, this isn't some sort of creature. But something else entirely" Dean rambled and I sighed, rubbing the space between my eyebrows as a burning pain started there.

"Yeah. But what?" I asked and heard Dean sigh.

"I don't know, water wraith maybe? Some kind of demon?" Dean replied and I sighed, none of those things sounded correct, "-or something that controls water at least" he continued before my eyes widened.

"Water that comes from the same source" I said and Dean snorted.

"I was gonna say that" I smiled and Sam nodded.

"The lake" I nodded at Sam's statement. Whatever this was it had something to do with the lake and that was about the only thing we were sure about at the moment.

"That would explain why it's upping the body count" Sam said and I nodded.

"The lake'll be dry in six months, whatever it wants it has less time to get it" I finished off the sentence that Sam was already thinking of. He nodded in agreement.

"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get almost anywhere" Dean replied, before getting to his feet.

"This is gonna happen again soon" I stated just as Dean opened his mouth to say exactly the same thing. He frowned at me before sinking into the chair at the table again.

"Whatever it is, we know it has something to do with Bill Carlton" Sam stated and Dean and I nodded.

"It took both of his kids"

"Exactly, and I've been asking around. Christopher Barr… Bill's godson" Sam said and I blew a strand of hair out of my face.

"So let's go pay Mr Carlton a visit" Dean said, getting to his feet and grabbing his jacket off the chair. I grabbed mine and Sam and I followed Dean out to the Impala where we got in and he drove us quickly up to the Carlton residence.

When we arrived, Bill Carlton was sitting on the bench on the dock just like last time we had come here. Sam, Dean and I hopped out of the car, closing the doors behind us before walking up to the man.

"Mr Carlton?" Sam asked and the man looked away from where he was staring out over the lake to look at the three of us approaching.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind?" Sam asked politely, aware that the guy was grieving. He was doing more than that, he was beating himself up over his kids dying, he was grieving, he was in pain and he was incredibly sad. He couldn't cope.

"We're with the, the Department…" Dean began but Bill Carlton shook his head.

"I don't care who you're with, I've answered enough damned questions today" he interrupted and I understood where he was coming from, but we needed the information, it was important in helping us gank whatever this was.

"Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything?" there was a pause, but Bill wasn't answering any questions any time soon.

"Mr Carlton, Will's death, Sophie's drowning, we think there might be a connection to your family" Sam tried again and Bill Carlton sighed but I sensed that he was scared about something. He wanted it to end.

"My children are gone, that's… that's worse than dying. Now please, go. Leave me alone" he replied. I bit my lip and turned, following Sam and Dean back to the car.

"So what do you think?" Sam asked us, but it was Dean who replied.

"Aww, I think the poor guy's been through hell. I also think there's something he isn't telling us" Dean replied and I nodded in agreement. There definitely was something that he wasn't telling us. Sam decided to lean against the Impala at that second before sighing.

"So what now?" he said aloud and I turned to Dean, seeing that he'd frozen out of the corner of my eye.

"What?" I frowned.

"Huh?" he said, staring at the Carlton house, before taking a piece of paper out of the pocket on his jeans and looking down at it, where Lucas had drawn the Carlton's house.

"Maybe Bill isn't the only one who knows something" Dean frowned, and Sam looked over his shoulder at the picture that Lucas had drawn.

"To Lucas?" I asked and Dean nodded his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea" Andrea said and I sighed, shifting my weight onto my other leg.

"Please, I just need to talk to him" Dean stated and I saw Andrea sigh. She seemed a little torn.

We had driven to the house where Andrea and Lucas lived and it was actually a really nice place. After we had said hello to Andrea and apologised for showing up so suddenly and she invited us in, Dean had instantly asked to speak to Lucas when it became clear that the boy wasn't downstairs with us. Andrea shot the idea down straight away but I knew she was torn between keeping her son away from anything else relating to this, and wanting to help us anyway she could.

"Just for a few minutes" Dean tried again.

"He won't say anything" Andrea stated, like we didn't already know that.

"What good's it gonna do?" she asked and I shifted my weight again. She frowned at me but Sam turned her attention away from me.

"We think more people will get hurt." No we know more people will get hurt Sammy!

"We think something's happening out there" Sam finished and Andrea frowned.

"My husband, all the others, they just drowned" she said and I sighed.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked her, which made her hesitate, possibly because she felt something hadn't been right and also because how confident I was in asking her that.

"Andrea if you think there's even a slight chance that something might be wrong, you will let me talk to your son" Dean said and Andrea, seemingly defeated, nodded and led us upstairs. Dean looked at me and winked as Andrea led us to a room, where Lucas was sat on the floor drawing again his toy soldiers surrounding him. I remembered that Sam and Dean used to have those when they were younger and they would make up battles, especially when they annoyed John to the point where he put them in the back seat together and let me sit up front with him. That was in the early years, where we would talk and the boys would make shooting noises and noises of their soldiers dying in the back of the car, which would make John and I laugh. After my parents died I was no longer a child and even at eight years of age, John could have a mature conversation with me, simply because I understood a lot of things, but I was surrounded by three older men who talked as well and used words that I hadn't known before so I picked up things quickly. It was the only thing I had to keep my mind occupied, along with reading and writing in my journal. I wonder where that had gone?

"Hey Lucas, remember me?" Dean asked as he crouched next to the boy. Lucas didn't acknowledge his presence, instead he continued to colour. I sighed, leaning against the right hand side of the door, while Sam leaned against the opposite side, with Andrea standing in between us.

"You know… I wanted to thank you for your last drawing. But the thing is… is I need your help again" he said but Lucas carried on drawing so Dean took out the previous picture Lucas had given him and placed it on the floor next to Lucas.

"How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was going to happen? Maybe you could nod, yes or no for me?" he asked but Lucas continued to draw. I could almost see that Dean was thinking of taking another approach with the boy sitting in front of him.

"You're scared, it's okay. I understand. See when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom" he began and I winced, before looking at Sam, to see that he was watching his brother in shock. Obviously Dean had never mentioned it to Sam, then again he'd never mentioned it to me either. "- just like you I didn't feel like talking either. But see my mom, I knew she would've wanted me to brave and I think about that every day. So I try my best to be brave, and maybe, maybe your dad would want you to be brave as well." Lucas dropped his crayon and looked up at Dean before turning to his drawings that he had placed to the side and handed Dean one of them. He glanced down before looking back at Lucas.

"Thanks, Lucas" he said before straightening out of his crouch and heading towards Sam and myself, nodding at Andrea as he did so.

"Thank you for letting me speak to him" he said and Andrea frowned at her son sitting in the room behind Dean but nodded.

"Sure" was all she said.

"We'd best be going now" I urged and the two brothers turned to look at me before nodding. Whatever it was in the drawing, we needed to check it out as soon as possible to prevent any more people from dying. Andrea nodded and showed us back out again, were we hurriedly climbed into the Impala and Dean started the car before pulling out onto the road and handing Sam the picture. I leaned forwards and looked over Sam's shoulder.

"Andrea said the kid never drew like that until his dad died" Dean stated and I frowned at the picture which showed a church, a yellow house and a boy in a blue baseball cap, standing next to a red bike in front of a brown fence. Sam shrugged.

"There are cases- going through traumatic experiences, they can make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies" Sam explained and I nodded next to his shoulder where I was frowning at the picture still.

"Whatever it is out there, Lucas must be tapping into it somehow. Or perhaps it's just this particular thing that he is linked to, after having to watch his dad die and then being stuck with the body until the police showed up and rescued him" I rambled in thought as Dean sighed.

"Whatever it is it's only a matter of time before someone else dies. So if you got a better lead, then please" Dean said and I could hear the frustration in his voice. Sam sighed.

"Alright, we've got another house to find" he stated.

"The only problem is that there have to be a thousand yellow two-storeys in this county alone" Dean stated and I nodded before focusing on the church in the picture.

"See the church? I bet there are less than a thousand around here" he stated, pointing at the church even though Dean was driving and probably couldn't see but Dean grinned.

"Oh college boy, thinks he's so smart" he teased and I waited for Sam to tell his brother to shut up but was surprised when it didn't happen. Instead I sat back in my seat, listening to their conversation since I was interested as to what direction Sam would steer the conversation in.

"You know um…" Sam began, seemingly worried as to how Dean would take this.

"What you said about mom…" he continued and I smiled at the back of his head.

"You never told me that" he finished and Dean shrugged.

"It's no big deal" he replied and I smiled, waiting for the line that I knew Dean would say.

"Oh god, we aren't gonna have to hug or anything are we?" Dean asked and I snorted at his knee jerk response to anything that was breaching touchy-feely with his brother.

"You really know how to shoot your brother down Dean" I stated and Sam chuckled.

"I didn't particularly want to hug him" Sam shrugged and Dean patted his brother's shoulder.

"Sorry to break your heart little brother" Dean joked, continuing to drive.

We approached the white church that we had found after a while of driving and I saw that there was a cute looking yellow house nearby, surrounded by a few trees and bushes with the wooden fence in front. I looked over Dean's shoulder to the picture he held in his hand and compared it to the view in front of me before nodding to myself, deciding that this was the place. Sam and Dean looked at each other before they started across the street, in the direction of the house with me hurrying behind them.

"We're sorry to bother you ma'am" Dean began as the woman answered the door after we had knocked, "but we'd like to ask you a few question if that's okay?" he asked and the woman nodded, before letting us inside. The house was pleasant enough, it felt homey and I noticed the few pictures dotted around, one in particular of a boy.

"Does a little boy live here by any chance? He might be wearing a blue cap and ride a red bicycle?" Dean asked and the woman sighed before shaking her head. I could feel her sadness; it had moved deep and was now a part of her every waking moment.

"No sir, not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for thirty-five years now" she stated and I saw her look in the direction of the picture of the boy on one of the tables.

"The police never… _I_ never had any idea what happened to him. He just disappeared" she sighed and I frowned at her slightly, feeling how much this hurt her.

"Losing him you know…it's worse than dying" she said and I swallowed before looking at Dean, who had glanced over at Sam and me at that moment.

"Did he disappear from here? I mean…this house?" Dean asked and she shook her head.

"He was supposed to ride his bike home, straight from school, and he never showed up" she said as Dean walked over to a nearby mirror where there was a picture attached to the side. He pulled it off and studied it before turning it over where there was obviously writing on the back.

"Peter Sweeney and Bill Carlton, nineteen seventy" Dean read out and he glanced at us before placing the picture back in its spot before I nodded at Peter's mother.

"Thank you for your time Mrs Sweeney" I said and she smiled at me before nodding.

"Of course" she said and we excused ourselves before leaving the house and heading to the Impala where we climbed in since Dean had stupidly left her unlocked, though it seemed like a nice enough neighbourhood.

"So Peter Sweeney disappears and this is somehow linked to Bill Carlton?" Sam asked, while I bit my lip in thought since it helped me concentrate and ignore the nausea that was building.

"Well that makes sense, it did seem like Bill Carlton was hiding something" Dean replied and I nodded slowly in response but my mind had already whizzed ahead before I groaned.

"And the people that Bill loves, they are all getting punished. So what if Bill did something to Peter?" I suggested but knew that this was right. It seemed like a better option, compared to the water wraith and demons that Dean suggested could be what we were hunting.

"Yeah, what if Bill killed him?" Sam added and I sighed before nodding along from the backseat though I think the brothers were too involved in their conversation.

"Well Peter's spirit would be furious and would want vengeance" Dean stated while I rubbed my sore and tired eyes.

"Seems we need to pay him another visit" I sighed and looked up to see Dean nodding from behind the wheel as he drove to the Carlton place, where we pulled up soon enough and got out of the car.

"Mr Carlton?" Sam called out from his place on the porch and I turned around to face the lake.

"Guys" I called just as the noise of an engine was heard, and a boat glided quickly through the water, carrying Bill Carlton in it.

Sam and Dean raced passed me and I followed them but stayed on the shore where the dock met the land, while they raced to the end of the dock, calling after Bill Carlton.

"Mr Carlton!" Dean yelled, "you need to come back! Turn the boat around"

"Mr Carlton!" Sam and I yelled together, but the man ignored us, keeping his boat steady and going further out into the lake, where the water rose up like an enormously tall wave, sending Bill Carlton crashing into it where the water fell, swallowing the man and his boat.

"Fudge" I whispered to myself as the boys stood there, before making their way back to me.

"Well there goes our only hope of finding out what happened to Peter" Dean sighed and I frowned at him before shaking my head.

"Don't become negative just yet brother" I sighed and he frowned at me but I ignored his look, "-we should probably call the cops" I stated and they nodded in agreement.

I frowned as Sheriff Jake walked us into the police station, where I saw Andrea and Lucas already sitting down in one of the chairs as he led us into the office. She frowned at us walking in.

"Sam, Dean" she stated, standing up and placing the brown bag she was holding onto the chair she had just vacated. I rolled my eyes but ignored the fact that she had left me out. Whatever I wasn't in the mood to be pissed off, I was way too drained.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here" she said.

"So now you're on a first name basis now?" Jake asked, though he didn't sound too happy about that, "-what are you doing here?" he questioned his daughter, but my attention was brought straight to Lucas who was sitting in the chair next to Andrea looking very troubled.

"Dean" I whispered in my brother's ear since I was standing behind him. He jumped a little at suddenly hearing my voice, but turned his head in my direction to show me he was listening.

"Lucas" was all I said and saw him direct his attention towards the little boy.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I don't have the time" Jake said to Andrea, since she had told him she'd brought him dinner.

"I heard about Bill Carlton. It is true? Is something happening with the lake?" she asked her father and I sensed fear for a split second, but the emotion passed as quickly as it had come.

"Right now, I don't know what the truth is, but I think it would be best if you and Lucas went home" was all Jake said and I frowned at him before looking at his grandson, sensing his fear and need for us to stay and help out. He looked up at us, his face looking slightly pale before he jumped out of his seat and ran over to Dean, grabbing his arm and holding on for dear life, before tugging him in the direction of the door.

"Lucas, hey, what is it?" Dean asked soothingly, but the boy wouldn't say anything of course.

"Lucas?" I asked and the boy turned his eyes on me, continuing to tug Dean willing him to understand with the action.

"Lucas?" Andrea asked, sounding alarmed but he looked at me, willing me to understand with his eyes. Something was wrong; whatever it was he could sense it and he was scared.

"Lucas, it's okay, it's okay. Hey it's okay" Dean said calmly, trying to soothe the boy but he was too wound up for that, as he continued pulling Dean's arm, but Andrea threw her arms around him, hugging him from behind and he let go of Dean, but even with Andrea leading him out he didn't once look away from my brother or me. I swallowed, watching him go as the Sheriff walked into the office.

"He's trying to tell us something" I stated, whispering quietly to Dean who looked at me before following after Sam, the two of them taking seats at the desk, but I stayed where I was behind the counter, leaning on the surface as I stared at the door which had closed behind mother and son. My mind whirred on ahead, trying to figure out what could be wrong and I shook my head, shivering slightly, but the feeling came again. _Please_ was what crossed my mind, but the thought felt alien, as though it didn't belong to me.

"Ali?" Sam asked pulling me away from the thoughts that kept spiralling around but no answer popped up in my head. But of course whatever was going on, whatever was killing these people, well it wasn't done yet.

"What's the verdict?" I asked, ignoring my thoughts and Sam nodded for me to move.

"We took door number two" he stated and I frowned as Dean sighed.

"We're leaving" he explained but I knew that he wasn't happy with the idea.

"What? Why? This hasn't finished" I replied as Sam literally had to push me in the direction of the car.

"Because if we don't move, then Jake would've called the cops and told them we were impersonating government officials" he explained and I huffed a sigh, not happy at this but I knew Dean felt the same way, hopefully he would change his mind and we would tell the Sheriff to fuck off before continuing on with our duty to save this town.

I still slid into the Impala though, biting my tongue so hard that I think I drew blood, but let Dean drive out of the town, the blanket of night surrounding us, the longer that we drove for. I hadn't realised how dark it had gotten.

After a while of driving we drew up to the Interstate, with the sign announcing I-43 North to Milwaukee and an arrow pointing to the left, which became clearer the closer we drew to it. By now, after a while of being stuck in the back of the car I was getting antsy. It took every single bit of self-restraint I had to not shift in my seat, but seeing the sign now I couldn't help it. I started jiggling around, letting my leg bounce and my fingers to pick at each other, which was a really bad nervous habit I had, before I started to bite my nails. My stomach was churning and my body was getting hotter with every passing minute, the heat and churning combined making me feel sick since my nerves were strung so thin, that my nervousness was making me feel physically sick.

"Green" Sam said and Dean looked up.

"What?" he asked, sounding as confused as what I felt.

"Light's green" Sam stated and I blinked, looking up at the light which had been red last time I looked. _Please Dean, we need to do something_ I begged in my mind, wishing that he could hear my plea but knowing that he couldn't. Dean started the car but instead of turning left towards the Interstate, he turned right and I couldn't help the smile and sigh of relief that escaped, but nervous habits dying down when I knew that Dean was doing the right thing. I could've said something, that I knew, but something told me that Dean had to think this out for himself. I couldn't keep announcing my feelings because the boys needed to learn to trust their own, though mine were quite possibly ten times more powerful.

"Interstate's the other way" Sam announced, as though Dean had forgotten but he just sighed.

"I know" I bit my lip, my leg bouncing again even though Dean was sure that this was the correct thing to do, I knew we would get there, but this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach grew. Please let us be in time! Because I knew something bad would happen soon or was already happening, I just wasn't sure on the time frame, because these feelings didn't usually come with goddamn time frames!

"What?" Sam asked and Dean shook his head, obviously not knowing how to explain what was wrong.

"But Dean, this job, I think it's over" Sam said, seemingly understanding what was bothering his older brother. I sighed and shuck my head.

"I'm not so sure" Dean and I said at the same time.

"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney, Peter got his revenge then that's it, the spirit should be at rest" Sam stated and I swallowed, shaking my head at myself as I turned to look out of the window briefly, but the trees flashing past just made me feel more sick, so I focused back on the heads of Sam and Dean since Sam hadn't turned around to include me in the conversation like he usually did.

"Okay so what if we take off and this thing isn't done? What if we missed something? More people could get hurt" Dean stated and I breathed deeply against the bile that slowly rose up my throat, threatening to make me sick, but I knew we didn't have time to stop to allow me to throw my guts up. I could do that when we stopped in the town.

"But why would you think that?" Sam asked and Dean looked at me through the rear-view.

"Because Lucas was really scared" he stated and I offered a small smile, but knew as soon as it stretched my lips that it had come out wrong, which made Dean frown.

"Plus Ali is as pale as a ghost, want me to pull over?" he questioned and I widened my eyes, before shaking my head eagerly. We didn't have the time! He needed to put his foot down! Sam glanced at me quickly, sending me a concerned glance before turning back to Dean, probably putting my chalk white face off to motion sickness, just like he and Dean used to do when I was younger, though Dean had learned to trust me more over the years.

"So that's what this is about? The kid?" Sam asked and Dean sighed.

"Look he was really scared okay? I don't want to leave without making sure he's alright" Dean replied and I smiled at his thoughtfulness but I always thought Dean had a soft spot for kids. I always thought he would make a great father.

"Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?" Sam exclaimed, making Dean turn to look at him before looking back at the road.

"Shut up" he responded and I swallowed, the feeling disappearing which allowed me to grin at Dean's head as he urged the car forward quicker, pulling up outside the house that I recognised as Andrea and Lucas's house before Dean and I climbed out at the same time, Dean walking over to the house, while I walked quickly, almost jogging as Sam followed. I arrived on the porch and knocked as Sam and Dean arrived.

"Are you sure about this man? It's pretty late" Sam questioned, but Dean knocked the door again, ignoring Sam's hesitance because something was wrong. I could feel it and the feeling was making me shift my weight in agitation. The door flew inwards and Lucas stood there gasping in panic.

"Lucas. Lucas?" Dean said, realising that the boy was scared. He took off and Sam, Dean and I raced after him, where he led us up the stairs to a door, which I guessed was the bathroom since water was pouring out of the door and down the stairs. Lucas began banging on the door again but Dean grabbed him and moved him out of the way, into my arms since I had crouched ready to grab him. He clung to me as Dean kicked in the door, making it fly out of the way and Sam ran in, heading straight to the bathtub. Lucas reached out and grabbed the leg of Dean's jeans, making him crouch beside the two of us, while I turned Lucas around, hiding his face in my chest as he gripped Dean's hand. Sam reached into the tub and pulled at something. Shit, it had a good grip on Andrea. I bit my lip, continuing to watch Sam struggling before he pulled once more and the force released Andrea, allowing Sam to pull her out of the bath and she coughed up water.

I nodded and Dean took Lucas off me, where I walked into the bathroom, seeing a towel and bathrobe on a stand, before hurrying over to Sam and Andrea, nodding to Sam who smiled and handed Andrea to me before walking out. I held her as she coughed up more water, wrapping the towel around her shoulders and trying my best to rub her dry. She looked up at me and sent me a small smile before sinking into my arms, seemingly exhausted so I helped her into the robe I'd taken and she shrugged into the material, allowing me to lift her up and help her down the corridor where she led me to a room which when she opened the door showed that it was her room.

"I'll be downstairs with Sam and Dean. Will you be okay on your own?" I asked and she smiled slightly before nodding.

"Can you do me a favour?" she asked and I nodded, "-can you place Lucas in bed and try and get him to sleep?" I nodded in response before I turned and walked out seeing Sam and Dean standing by the stairs.

"Where's Lucas?" I asked the boys and Dean sighed before looking at where the boy was sitting on the couch so I walked over to him and knelt down in front of him, placing my hands lightly on his knees to comfort him.

"Hey buddy, I'm Ali" I said and he placed his hands over mind, which made me smile.

"So your mom is upstairs getting dry and putting some warm clothes on. She's okay, a little scared perhaps but she will be fine thanks to Sam and Dean" I said, turning my hands over to hold his smaller ones in my own, but he still stayed silent.

"Well we are going to look after your mom when she comes back down, since it's what we do best, looking after people, but right now your mom wants me to look after you and place you in bed for a while so that you can get some sleep since it is still night and you should be in bed" I said but he didn't response so I nodded.

"I know you are probably scared, I know I would be if I were you, but you're safe now and do you want to know why you are safe now?" I asked, which got a reaction out of the boy because he looked up, resting his eyes on my own and I smiled.

"You're safe because we will talk to your mom and find out everything we can to stop this happening in future. Sam and Dean are good at stopping bad things happening and we will keep you both safe. I'll even stay with you in your room while you sleep if that helps?" I asked and I swore he nodded briefly before getting to his feet, so I opened my arms and he stepped into them, allowing me to pull him up as I straightened. He wrapped his arms around my neck as I supported him against my body. Sam and Dean frowned at me and I smiled at them, walking over to them since they were still by the stairs.

"Andrea is upstairs drying off and putting some warm clothes on. She asked me to put Lucas to bed for a little while so I'm going to do that, but I won't be back down since I'll stay with him until you're done at which point I can swap with Andrea. Please make her a warm drink or something?" I asked and Dean grinned.

"Now your maternal instincts are showing" he said and I rolled my eyes as I carried Lucas up the stairs, at which point Andrea was just leaving her room. She smiled at me before walking over to us and kissing Lucas on the head, the three of us going into Lucas's room where I lay him on the bed and stood back, allowing Andrea to say goodnight to her son and in doing so, showing him that she was safe and alive.

"Night sweetie" she said before straightening up and walking over to me.

"I'll stay with him so that he can sleep peacefully, but Sam and Dean want to talk to you if that's okay. If they give you any grief then just tell me and I'll slap them for you" I said, making her laugh a little before she nodded.

"I will do, and thank you Ali, for looking after my son" she said and I knew she meant it. Of course I could feel how much Lucas meant to her, but after all she had lost her husband, Lucas's father and Lucas was part of both of them. Plus a mother's love for her child was a strong thing. I grinned in response.

"He's a good kid, it's not a problem at all" was my reply and she nodded before I took up a seat on a nearby chair, settled in front of the desk in the boy's room. I looked over him and saw that he was watching me, so I sent him a small smile.

"Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up. Or your mom will, depending on whether I need to go or not" I said and watched as his eyes slid shut. I smiled slightly at his sleeping form, glad that he was resting now, but kept myself alert for anything that may pose as a threat.

Lucas walked beside me as we made our way downstairs. Dawn had approached, the rising sun was tinting the sky pale colours of gold, pink and purple and Lucas had woken up. I was impressed though because apart from the slight tossing and turning, he had slept soundly but had started awake about ten minutes ago. So after me coaxing him into some warmer clothing, he headed out of the room and led me downstairs.

All had been quiet downstairs for most of the time, but I knew that Sam and Dean were still there firstly because they wouldn't leave and not let me know, and secondly because Dean had been up to check on Lucas and myself and bring me the occasional drink or sandwich since I refused to budge and leave the kid on his own. I promised him I would stay and I stuck by that promise, which I knew surprised my brother because I had never shown any affection towards children. I'd never had much to do with children though and in this line of work, well I couldn't see myself settling down long enough to think about children, never mind having any of my own. But after keeping an eye on Lucas it made me realise that should my life as a Hunter end, I wouldn't say no to the idea of children.

"Hey Ali" Sam said and I smiled at him, nodding towards them before focusing back on Lucas who had disappeared into the kitchen. Dean was on the opposite end of the room looking through books while Sam was talking to Andrea.

"Hey you two, how are you doing Andrea?" I asked and she sighed, looking down at the mug in her hands which she was cradling, while sitting on the couch. She seemed warm enough but still shaken up, though it had only been about three hours and I knew that whatever had happened would have an effect on her for a while longer. I saw that she had been crying so I went and sat next to her. I had listened in on Sam and her talking as I walked down the stairs and knew that she was scared and freaked out by what had happened.

"It's okay Andrea, this is what the three of us do so you are in safe hands, but you need to tell us as much as possible if you want us to be able to stop this thing" I soothed and she looked at me before sighing and nodding.

"Can you tell us everything that happened?" Sam asked and she sighed.

"I heard… I thought I heard… a voice" she said and I nodded slowly, encouraging her to go on when she looked at me.

"What did it say?" I asked and she frowned.

"It said come play with me" she replied and I turned to look at Sam who frowned. Dean was right, this definitely wasn't over because Peter still had unfinished business. I bit my lip and got to my feet, walking over to where Dean was looking at books on one of the shelves.

"Andrea heard a voice saying 'come play with me' obviously Peter hasn't finished yet, so does that mean that Jake was involved with what happened to him? Bill played a part in Peter's death and Peter took his children before taking him, what if the same thing happens with Andrea, Lucas and Jake?" I asked and Dean looked up from the book containing pictures that he was looking at. I saw him think about what I had said for a while before he nodded.

"That's a chance I won't be taking, we will do everything we can" he said and I nodded at his statement, feeling exactly the same. We would not lose anyone else. Dean motioned for me to walk and we did, where Dean walked over to Andrea and sat next to her, placing the book on the table in front of her at an open page.

"Do you recognise the kids in these pictures?" Dean asked her and she frowned at him.

"What? Um…um, no, except this is my dad. But he couldn't have been more than twelve here" she said, pointing out a boy in one picture before moving her finger to another where the same boy was standing next to another boy. A boy who looked exactly like the picture of Peter in the Sweeney house.

"Chris Barr's drowning couldn't have been related to Bill. It must be the sheriff" Dean said as Sam frowned.

"It could be Bill _and_ the sheriff, they were both involved with Peter" he said and I nodded before shifting my weight uneasily.

"What about Chris? My dad- what are you two talking about?" Andrea asked, confused but I turned away from her, frowning at Lucas who stood in front of the back door.

"Lucas?" I questioned, but he ignored me.

"Lucas, what is it?" Dean asked from my right and at that small question, Lucas opened the door and walked out. I hurried after him, hearing Dean, Sam and Andrea following behind as the boy led us up the hill behind the house and stopped in between the trees, looking down at a patch in particular, before he looked up at Dean and me, since we were standing side-by-side by the child. I looked up at Dean, since he was about three inches taller and he nodded in response before turning to Andrea.

"You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there where it's safer" he said. Andrea took her son, not even questioning Dean's order, since she probably knew by now not to and I followed after them, heading to the car to get the shovels we kept in there. We were going excavating.

I watched the boys digging, switching my attention between them and the house, just to keep an eye on it in case there was anything strange happening inside, but all seemed quiet which was a good thing, I hoped. I looked back at the boys and saw them continuing to dig, parts of their shirts wet with sweat and I tried to ignore how good they both looked without jackets on, since the digging made their muscles stand out more. Perhaps I had been wrong in saying that Sam looked a little lean when we saw him again over two months ago, because he was fairly muscled for a twenty two year old.

His shovel clanged against something metal and I went over, using my hands to help dig away some of the dirt, helping the two of them since they were doing the same, before Sam grabbed something and pulled, making the earth shift and me to lose my balance a little since I was standing on top of the object, which was a bike.

"Peter's bike" Sam stated, sounding a little out of breath but then again he had been digging for a while.

"Who the hell are you?" came Jake's voice and we all looked over to him, seeing that he had a gun pointed in our direction.

"Put the gun down Jake" Sam instructed carefully, but the man showed no signs of either hearing what Sam had said, or chose to ignore his instruction.

"How did you know that was there?" he asked, though we weren't exactly going to say 'we didn't know, but your grandson did' since that wouldn't go down too well.

"What happened? You and Bill drowned Peter in the lake then buried his bike? The truth doesn't stay buried forever Jake" Dean said and I saw his façade drop a little at having been found out.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about" Jake replied and I snorted. Fucking liar!

"Maybe I should refresh your memory then. You and Bill killed your friend Peter Sweeney thirty five years ago by drowning him. that's what we're talking about" I replied, pissed off that after we had found everything out, including the goddamn bike that he still had the nerve to deny everything. Though fear did that to you I suppose.

"Dad!" came Andrea's voice and I looked to see her running up the hill, which made me sigh.

"Now you have one pissed off ghost on your hands" Dean said and I turned my attention back to the scene playing out in front of me.

"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love and it's gonna drown them. Then it'll drag their bodies off God knows where so that you can feel the same pain Peter's mom did and it won't stop until it gets you too" Sam said and Jake turned to the taller brother.

"Yeah, and how do you know that?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Because that's exactly what happened to Bill Carlton" Sam and I stated at the same time. Jake looked between us, probably a little scared at the fact that Sam and I said the exact same sentence at the exact same time, but it was because this was a fact and he needed to understand that.

"Listen to yourselves, all of you. You're insane" he said and I stepped up to Sam's side before shrugging.

"I don't give a rat's ass what you think of us. But if we're gonna bring down this spirit then we need to find his remains, salt them and burn them to dust so please tell me you buried Peter somewhere and didn't just let him go in the lake?" Dean said and I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end as my stomach started to churn nervously. Shit that wasn't a good sign. I shifted my weight to look around but couldn't see any spirit of any sorts.

"Dad is this true?" Andrea asked and Jake snorted.

"Of course not, don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous" he replied and I turned my attention back to him to glare but he ignored me.

"Something tried to drown me. Chris died in that lake. Dad look at me" she said and I saw the fear and panic in his eyes as he turned to look at his daughter.

"Tell me you didn't kill anyone" she begged but I turned my attention away to scan the area again as my feeling grew worse as the minutes ticked past, but Jake stayed silent.

"If don't you help us then you will lose your daughter and grandson, Jake" I sighed, turning my attention back to him, "-losing them will kill you, you know that just as well as I do. So please do the right thing here" I nearly begged and he turned his attention to me to listen to me before looking away and sighing. I nearly grinned when I felt his defences crumble.

"Oh my god" Andrea gasped before Jake turned to look at Sam and myself.

"Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one so we always bullied him. We were messing around but we held his head under the water too long and he drowned. We let him go and the body sank" he explained, sounding drained. I gulped, shifting my weight again as the feeling grew worse as Dean looked over at Sam and I as Jake sighed and turned his attention to his daughter.

"Oh Andrea we were kids, we were so afraid. But to say I have anything to do with these drowning's…with Chris because of some ghost. It's not rational" he said and I shook my head at his attempt to reassure her.

"Alright, we need to get going and get you as far away from this lake as possible" Dean urged but I turned away from them and glanced in one direction that made the feeling grow worse.

"Shit" I hissed as Andrea gasped behind me as we saw Lucas making his way towards the lake.

"Lucas!" I yelled at the same time that Jake did before I dug my heels into the ground and sprinted as fast as I could.

"Lucas" Dean yelled as we drew closer, seeing that he was kneeling on the edge of the dock, but the way he was leaning could make it easy for any child to accidentally fall in, but with a vengeful ghost in the lake, that doubled his chances of falling in.

"Lucas baby, stay there" Andrea called from behind me, just as he tumbled over. Dean, Sam and I had reached the edge of the lake by this time and Jake had reached the dock but had frozen halfway down. The three of us, with Andrea behind me rushed to the edge of the dock, Sam and Dean diving in but I skidded to a stop, unable to jump in to help them. Andrea started removing her jacket.

"Andrea stay there" Sam said, from where he was floating in the water.

"No! Lucas" she shouted in reply.

"We'll get him, just stay on the dock" Sam ordered and I moved over to Andrea, putting my arms around her as I saw Sam disappear under the water after Dean.

"They'll get him" I reassured, but this time I wasn't so sure myself. I only wished I could be helping them, three people might be better than two but even being this close to open water was making me feel lightheaded, so there was no way I would've been able to approach the end of the dock to jump in. I probably would've fainted out of pure fright and there were few things that I was scared of.

A moment later Dean resurfaced, sucking in air as Sam followed afterwards.

"Sam?" Dean questioned and his brother shook his head.

"Lucas where are you?" Andrea screamed and I swallowed before nodding at the boys.

"Try again" I urged, but I didn't need to say that because they dived back under as soon as the words left my lips.

"Peter please, if you can hear me, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" Jake said and I looked over my shoulder to see him wading into the water.

"Peter, Lucas... he's just a little boy. Please it's not his fault, it's mine. Take me instead" Jake pleaded and I sighed as Andrea sobbed.

"Daddy no!" she yelled but her father didn't pay attention.

"Jake no!" Dean called from behind me and I switched my attention back to see that they had come back up for air.

"Just let it be over" Jake begged and at that moment he was dragged down under the water.

"Daddy! Daddy, no!" Andrea yelled and I blinked against the tears that were building up at the pain, grief and heartache that I could feel, but I kept my arms securely around Andrea as the boys dived down again. Third time's a charm right? Hopefully it applies here too. Andrea sank onto the dock and I crouched beside her.

"No" she sobbed as Sam resurfaced. I looked at him and he shook his head slowly, seemingly horrified at what had happened as Andrea shook in my arms. I looked away from Sam, scanning the water for any signs of movement when at the time, Dean surfaced, holding Lucas in his arms and gasping in breath.

I let go of Andrea and stumbled to the edge of the dock, my heart beating furiously in my chest at all the possibilities that could happen, but I pushed my fear aside, instead reaching for the three males, grabbing Sam's hand to pull him up onto the dock and reaching for Dean and Lucas. I took Lucas off Dean as Sam grabbed his brother and hauled him onto the dock beside him.

"Please let him be alive" I whispered, before starting CPR on the boy who wasn't breathing.

I rubbed my eyes, thankful that the shaking of my hands had stopped before I zipped my duffel up and followed the boys out of the motel room, closing the door behind me. We had already settled the payment and had just needed to grab our stuff from the room.

"We're not going to save everybody" Sam stated as they threw their bags into the backseat and I followed through with mine.

"I know" Dean sighed but I bit my lip, not saying what was in my head though I was sure the boys knew as well. If it wasn't for Jake giving himself to Peter's spirit then we may not have gotten Lucas back, because Peter would've kept his grip on the boy. He only wanted Jake, but enjoyed inflicting the pain until he got who he wanted, it was why he took Bill Carlton's kids, and it took his children dying for Bill to see that Peter wanted him. That was why he drove the boat into the middle of the lake, to give himself to Peter's spirit, but of course it didn't end because Jake was involved too.

"Sam, Dean, Ali" Andrea called and the three of us looked up to see her and Lucas walking over to us, Lucas holding some sort of tray in his hands.

"Hey" Dean and I greeted and he playfully smacked my over the head.

"That was my line" he said and I stuck my tongue out at him, causing us all to chuckle.

"I'm glad we caught you. We um…we made you lunch for the road" she stated and I understood then that the tray Lucas was carrying contained the sandwiches.

"Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself" she said and I smiled at the boy.

"Can I give it to them now?" he asked, looking up at her and she smiled down at him, happily.

"Of course" was her reply, before she bent down and kissed his head.

"Come on Lucas, let's load this into the car" Dean said, taking the tray off the boy and pretending that it was heavy before walking around to load it into the back. Crap the smell of food would drive me insane.

"How are you holding up?" Sam asked and I turned back, leaning against the hood of the car as they talked.

"It's gonna take some time to sort through everything you know" she replied and I frowned before sighing.

"Andrea, I'm sorry" I said as Sam opened his mouth presumably to say the same thing. She turned to smile at me, but I could see the pain in her eyes. Losing her husband and father so close to each other couldn't be easy, plus the fact that she could've potentially lost her own life and her son if it hadn't been for the boys. It must be hard to process. Loss is a horrible thing for anyone, no matter whom it is that they have lost.

"You saved my son, that's all I can ask for. My dad, he loved me and he loved Lucas. No matter what he did I have to hold onto that" she said and I nodded in response.

"The best way to think of it is that everyone has their secrets. No matter what your dad hid from you, he did it out of love and purely to be able to get on with his own life. But I could tell how he was with you and Lucas that he loved you both, if that helps?" I said gently and she smiled at me before nodding.

"It does, thank you" she said and Sam smiled at me, which I saw out of the corner of my eye. I was aware of Lucas giving Dean a high five, purely because I heard the vague sound, but I got off the car and walked over to Andrea before giving her a hug.

"Thank you for helping look after Lucas" she said and I squeezed her, which she returned.

"No problem, he's a wonderful boy Andrea. You're lucky to have each other" I said, before pulling away to look at her.

"Take care" I said and she smiled before nodding.

"You two. Look after those boys" she said and I grinned.

"Someone's got to" I shrugged and we laughed as we pulled away and I made my way over to lean on the side of the car before I saw Lucas and crouched down to his level.

"See ya buddy" I said and he grinned at me before throwing his arms around my neck.

"Bye Ali" he whispered and I hugged him tightly, "-and thank you" he finished, which made me smile and pull away from him, but he left his hands on my shoulders a little longer.

"Look after yourself and your mom. Everything will get better now, just stay as you are and everything will be okay" I said, looking into his eyes and he nodded.

"I will, don't worry. You look after yourself and Sam and Dean and be careful" he said and I smiled before hugging him again.

"I will, don't worry" I said, making him laugh and pulling away as I saw Andrea kiss Dean briefly and say thank you. I rolled my eyes but focused back on the boy.

"And thanks for the food, I'm in the backseat so I might try and eat all the sandwiches without Sam and Dean knowing" I said and Lucas frowned.

"That's mean" I laughed as I straightened up.

"I might let them have one" I said and he shook his head, obviously knowing I was only joking.

"Sam, Ali, move your ass. We need to get going and be on the road before dark" Dean ordered and I rolled my eyes at Lucas before ruffling his hair and we smiled at each other once more before he went to his mom as Dean climbed in the car, closely followed by Sam.

"Keep your boxers on Dean. You're getting to be a real pain in the ass in your old years" I said as I sank into the backseat, slamming the door after me. He turned to glare at me before starting the car. Andrea and Lucas waved at us and we waved back before Dean pulled out of the parking space we had occupied at the motel and headed towards the road, driving the way we had done when we were told to leave by Jake.

"He's a cute kid" I stated and Dean snorted.

"I think someone's fallen in love" he teased and I rolled my eyes at the back of his head.

"Of course I have" I replied, but could tell Dean wasn't sure if I was being serious or not, but I was actually being serious. Though I had felt protective of him from the moment I saw him. It seemed I did have motherly instincts after all; I just never got to use them much, since Dean, Sam and John would moan whenever I fussed around them, because they were 'grown men' blah blah blah, there's nothing wrong with wanting to look after someone. Was there?

"So can we settle someplace so you can teach me how to hack the dickheads in suits?" I asked and Dean sighed.

"I suppose so. It isn't hard to do so I can show you in about an hour while Sam searches for some other place that need our help" Dean said and Sam nodded in response.

"You're dead set about this then?" Sam asked from the front, looking at me through the mirror and I shrugged before nodding. He nodded in response before smiling and turning in his seat to face me.

"You know, I was impressed with how you conquered your fear of water enough to lean over the edge of the dock" he said and I smiled in response, but felt the heat on my cheeks at the compliment.

"Well I wasn't going to leave you to struggle in pulling yourself up" I shrugged and Sam grinned at me.

"Naah, you were worried about us" Dean said, and I heard the tone of his voice change, knowing he was teasing me. I snorted in response.

"Of course I was, if something happened to you I would be fucked. I'd have no one to drive me around" I said and he lifted his eyebrows at me as Sam rolled his eyes and I grinned at them. Of course I was worried about them. I didn't like the idea of them jumping into a lake that was haunted by a pissed off ghost, I wasn't sure whether Peter's spirit would turn on them for trying to help out. Luckily he didn't, but if something had happened to the boys, well I would've been a mess and probably hated John for the rest of my life and John probably would've hated me for letting his boys die. They were the only family I had left, but the three of them were lucky in that they had each other. I didn't have my parents or sister anymore, though I don't think they had ever thought about it like that. At least Sam and John probably hadn't everytime they used to argue. Their arguing used to both piss me off and hurt that they did that and didn't appreciate that they had each other.

"I'm still proud of you though Ali" Dean said and I grinned at him.

"Is that a compliment?" I joked and he snorted.

"I thought you deserved a compliment for a change, since you did something right" he said and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Ass" I huffed and he chuckled as Sam lightly smacked his arm.

"Stop picking on Ali dude" Sam said and I laughed.

"Yeah Dean, don't mess with me or I'll set my bodyguard on you" I said, sending him a smirk and he glared at the two of us.

"Since when did I become outnumbered?" he whined.

"Suck it up you pansy. So is it time for food yet?" I replied, changing the subject and both boys groaned.

"Where do you put it all? I swear you eat more than me" Dean asked and I grinned.

"There are other ways to burn off food you know. Besides I can't help having a high metabolism" I replied, earning a sigh from Sam and Dean.

"Well grab a sandwich or two for yourself but don't eat them all" Dean said, fixing me with a glare in the rear-view mirror and I stuck my tongue out at him in reply, but did as he said. I couldn't leave the boys with no food after all. Even I wasn't that mean to them, since Dean thought about food just as much as I did so I couldn't keep him away from food. That was more likely to kill him than a demon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- Phantom Traveller**

"Night daddy" Alissa said and he bent down to kiss her goodnight, just like he had done with me.

"Night my sweet" he said before walking to the door and turning the light off.

"Sleep well my girls" he said, closing the door, but not all the way so as to allow a crack of light to spill into the room through the door. I groaned and turned over onto my side, to look at my sister lying in the bed on the other side of the room. She was sleeping in here with me because we were decorating her room so mom said that she would stay with me for the week because otherwise the fumes would make her ill.

"Liss, you awake?" I asked and she huffed a sigh.

"Yeah, sis I can't sleep" she said and I swallowed.

"Me either. I'm scared but don't know why" I heard her sigh, and was able to make out her shape under the bed clothes. The rustling of sheets was heard and I knew my sister had turned onto her side because the light shone on her face, making her eyes stand out because they changed colour under the light. Her eyes were cool like that.

"Yeah I've been feeling that all day as well" she stated and I bit my lip.

I hadn't been feeling very well all day, but I knew that it was more than that. It was the same way that I felt whenever I had one of my episodes where I felt weird. Mom said that I tapped into people's emotions and that sounded right but I don't know whether I believed her. It was the only rational excuse as to why I felt strange feelings that I knew didn't belong to me, but ever since mom found out what I could do she helped me to control it, so that I didn't become overwhelmed with other people's feelings. That had happened the once apparently and it had scared Sam and Dean when they were staying with us. Alissa was similar, but where I felt emotions, she saw pictures. Usually we would wake up at the same time, scared because Alissa saw something, and I would feel what the people in her images felt.

Alissa and I were twins. We had the same build of body, in that we were slim and both quite short, but we were nearly eight so we had plenty of time to grow. Though Dean teased us because we were small but he had just turned fifteen so he was old anyway. We had the same hair colour, with it being dark, chocolate brown, almost black, except my hair was longer than my sister's because my hair grew faster, plus mine had a slight wave in it whereas Liss's hair was straight. Her eyes were different to mine though and that was how you told us apart. We shared our mom's eye colour, my eyes being exactly the same hazel colour, with a rim of green around the pupil and edge of my iris, whereas Alissa's eyes were the same, but when light shone on her eyes, the hazel turned green and the green turned blue, so that her eyes resembled our daddy's. It was cool, and I of course was jealous, but it was one of the many little quirks that we shared and what made us unique according to our parents. Sam and Dean had joked about a year ago though, when we had one of our feelings, that twins were powerful and ran on their own wavelengths. It made sense, but the boys had meant it as a joke, though Liss and I knew that it definitely wasn't. We weren't normal children, no one except us and mom knew that. Especially John, he was a nice man and he loved his sons, but he had a strange way of showing it. He drilled them until they did things right, that was his way of bonding, but Liss and I could never make him see what we saw, that he didn't have to work his boys so hard and make them help him get revenge for Mary dying, they loved him anyway. It was this part of him that had always kept me from being completely honest with him whenever he came around. If Liss or I would have one of our episodes while he was here, we would excuse ourselves and go upstairs until it passed. He scared me, because I knew he was capable of many things. I sighed and heard Liss do the same.

"What do we do?" she asked and I frowned, before sitting up, and reaching across to the nightstand where I turned on the lamp so that we could see each other.

"We stay awake and see if something happens. We aren't doing anything tomorrow so we can just tell mom that we are ill and sleep for the day" I shrugged and my sister nodded, sitting up on her bed so that we could face each other. She looked thoughtful.

"Have you heard from them?" she asked and I frowned, shaking my head in annoyance.

"No, they haven't phoned and I know that John hasn't contacted daddy either" I sighed and my sister smiled sympathetically. I loved Dean and Sam, I loved them a lot, but we hadn't heard from them in about a month and it was worrying me. They made sure to call every week, even if they had to wait for their dad to go out so they could call us on a payphone.

"Is something wrong?" Liss asked, a frown on her face and I shook my head, sighing.

"No they are alive and well. I think John is just making them work harder" I explained, knowing what she meant because we were on the same frequency and understood each other easily.

I frowned and cocked my head to the side before sliding off the bed, my feet not making a noise on the floor, like daddy had showed me how to, before I crept over to the door and slowly opened it, wincing when the hinges squeaked. Daddy kept meaning to oil them but he didn't have much time, between playing with Liss and I, or working at his workplace or with John when John asked for help. I didn't know what John did for a living, but knew that it wasn't a normal job and was dangerous. It involved some sort of hunting, but I didn't know what. I stuck my head out of the door, Liss doing the same, but she stuck her head out of the door below me since she was on her hands and knees.

"How could you do that Oscar?" mom sobbed and I frowned down at Liss.

"I had no choice Melanie" daddy replied and I cocked my head to the side before doing something I swore I never would. I focused on my parents, on their familiar energies and opened myself up to them, feeling what they were feeling. Mom was scared, horrified, upset and she felt betrayed. Dad was feeling guilty, but proud, whatever had happened he had hurt mom but he thought the thing he'd done was right.

"What's happening sis?" Liss asked and I shrugged. She wouldn't know what was happening unless she'd seen this in one of her dreams. Her feelings don't work while she is awake, unless she focuses really hard. I sighed in response and shrugged at my younger sister, who had been born three minutes after me.

"I don't know what's wrong. But daddy has done something that mom isn't happy about. It hurts so badly and she can't decide whether she hates him for doing it or loves him because she understands that he believes it was the right thing to do. But daddy loves her and while he feels guilty he's proud because no matter what she says he knows it was the right thing to do"

"Do you think he's unfaithful?" my sister asked and I shook my head instantly.

"Nope, his energy is normal and he loves mom more than what he did yesterday. No daddy is faithful, whatever he did isn't anything to do with loving other people, well except us of course" I replied and we grinned at each other before sighing and backing away from the door.

"Whatever it is, we should let them figure it out together" I shrugged and Liss nodded before we climbed onto my bed and Liss held my hand tightly, allowing me to feel that she was still feeling sick like I was, but I was able to control my sickness whereas she wasn't, simply because she had never had to, this was my power.

"Alissa, what's wrong?" I asked and it was then that I heard a yelp from downstairs. I frowned at Liss as she looked back at me, panicked. Something was happening, which meant that our feelings all day had been correct, like they always were. I swallowed against the horrible feeling in my throat before getting to my feet and walking quietly through the door where I came out onto the landing.

"You staying there?" I asked Liss, since she had followed me to the door. She shook her head.

"Definitely not, we're stronger together" she stated, taking my hand and gripping it tightly where we crept down the corridor and hid behind the bars at the top of the stairs because there was a potted plant here. Mom liked having plants around the house since it made her feel closer to nature or something like that. Mom was a spiritual woman though and always had been for as long as I could remember.

"This won't be pleasant" a male voice sneered and I frowned at Liss who shrugged at me in response. Both of us didn't recognise the voice and that made me uneasy. My stomach churned, making me want to vomit but I ignored the feeling, although I felt warm, so warm that it was becoming uncomfortable.

There was a sickening wet slurping sound and I shivered, feeling pain spread throughout my body and Liss whimpered. I covered her mouth with my hand, hoping she would quieten down because otherwise she would give us away to whoever it was downstairs and I couldn't risk her getting hurt, like I knew he was hurting our parents. I could physically feel their pain. I could feel how my mom's stomach churned with nausea at what was happening to daddy and I could feel him burning, as though he was being burnt alive, but there was no fire. My nerves were strung so thin and I was feeling lightheaded from how scared, nervous and hopeless I felt. This night wouldn't end well, but I knew that I couldn't move from where we were crouching behind the plant, not just yet at least, because if we moved we would risk our own lives.

"No don't, leave him alone!" mom screamed and I winced, pulling Alissa close to me and holding her tight. She buried her head in my shoulder and sobbed quietly as I stroked her hair, hoping to keep her as calm as possible. The man in the room just snickered and I shivered, knowing he was enjoying it. I could feel the pleasure that hurting people gave him, could feel the evil as though it was a person gripping my shoulder and could feel how rotten the man's heart was, because he didn't have one that felt any human emotion, everything was negative, there were no pleasant emotions like love or happiness. This man was not a man, but he was definitely an evil being. I wasn't sure what he was exactly though, but this was no human energy that I'd ever felt before.

Mom screamed again, a higher pitched scream than the last one, which suggested she was in pain, she was being tortured, but there was nothing we could do just yet. This man would be stronger than us and I hadn't thought up a plan yet.

"No!" daddy shouted, his voice gruff and showing how in pain he was. Alissa sobbed harder on my shoulder and my heart and body hurt. I was on fire now, everything was so hot and it was suffocating and I was so scared for my sister and my parents that it was making me feel sick. _Please, what do I do?_ I begged though I didn't know who I was asking for help.

I heard a grunt and a scuffle before daddy appeared on the stairs, clutching his side and I stared at him wide eyed. He sighed and I felt the tears start to fall down my face. He looked horrible. He had in fact been burnt, his face was cracked and bright red, with blisters appearing on his lips. His hands were burnt and there was hole in his side, which I could see right through.

"Daddy" I choked out and he collapsed next to me.

"It's okay Ali, now take your sister and get out of here. Run as fast as you can get to a police station or a neighbour, but don't look back" he begged and I sobbed before shaking my head.

"No we can't leave you" I sobbed and his blister cover lips turned upwards in a smile before he kissed my head.

"Yes you can, and you will, for your sister's sake" he said and we both started sobbing when mom screamed again in pain. His face turned murderously angry and I couldn't stop shaking, he'd never looked like that before and it scared me. His face softened and Liss pulled out of my arms before she started crying at how horrible he looked. It was hard to make sure that it was in fact daddy, but I recognised his comforting smell and energy. Liss whimpered and I wrapped my arms around her before tugging her up with me.

"We need to go Liss" I urged and she stood up on trembling legs, obviously so scared that she couldn't even control how her body reacted. I luckily was able to keep a grip on my emotions thanks to mom's training. We stumbled down the stairs and into the living room, which we would have to walk through to get to the front door as it was an open plan, living room, kitchen and dining room.

"Come on, I'll distract him so you can-" daddy began but stopped when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Mom screamed again and I froze before swallowing and taking a deep breath, letting go of Liss to turn around, where something rose through the floorboards. They were black particles and I shivered at the feeling of hatred and evil that it gave off. Whatever it was, there was more than one of them.

"No" daddy screamed and I turned, quick enough to grab Liss as daddy took off into the room. Liss and I hurried after him but stopped at the scene in front of us. Liss began crying loudly, diverting the attention away from our parents momentarily for the thing to grin maliciously. I don't know what it was but it looked like it was wearing all black, with a hood up to cover its face. But either way I couldn't see any memorable features.

"Your children are here to watch you die" the voice hissed and Liss crumbled to the floor, making me crouch next to her to keep her safe, turning her head into my body so that she wouldn't have to watch, but I was unable to peel my eyes away from the scene playing out in front of me.

The bad feeling rose up and crashed against me urgently, encouraging me to help my parents because if I didn't then they would die, but I didn't know what to do to help them. I was powerless, I couldn't fight these men off, because I counted that there were six of them. I wouldn't even be able to fight off one of them. Daddy looked at us and mouthed something, which I read as 'I love you' before he turned and removed something from the waistband of his jeans, plunging it into the skull of the man in front of him. The body crumbled to the floor, falling into ashes as a dark shadow fell over the room, as though a hand had reached up and covered everything that let out light.

"Daddy!" I screamed as a figure moved behind him and my dad turned in the direction of my voice, before the figure lifted its hand and plunged a knife into my dad's stomach before twisting and running the blade up the length of his body, cutting his skin open and making his blood pour out of his body like a waterfall.

"NO!" I screamed and the figure turned to me, but I was focused on the organs spilling out of my father's now dead body as his head lolled in my direction, his eyes open wide and glassy, already clouding over. I choked on a sob and held Liss tighter and she struggled against my hold, but I couldn't let her see what was happening. It was too horrific for anyone to witness but I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was rooted to the spot and I didn't know why.

"Oscar!" my mom yelled and I looked up to see that she had been tied to a chair, her wrists and ankles bound to the arms and legs of the chair as there were knives sticking out of her stomach, thigh, shoulder and her private area. The blood had crusted around her and was still pumping in steady streams. Her eyes widened as she saw me there.

"Ali. Go. Please" she choked out, her face streaked with blood and I swallowed the bile rising, knowing that her face was streaked with blood because her tears were bloody. There was blood dripping out of her nose and at the corner of her mouth, with gashes along her bare arms, her white nightdress stained pink as the blood was lightened by the colour of the fabric. I realised then that I was crying, but I hadn't been aware of the tears falling until that point. My arms loosened and I felt my body drain at the sight that was my mother. My stomach churned and I pushed my sister away to vomit onto the floor, which stupidly left her open to see the scene in front of her. She let lose a piercing scream and I trembled at the sound of it, never hearing her scream like that before.

The figures looked at us and I grabbed Liss, pulling her to me and whispering soothing words into her ear to calm her down, but it didn't work, she still cried loudly into my shoulder.

"Ali" she sobbed and I felt my heart start to tear at the pure fear in her voice. I'd never heard her sound so scared before. It was the most terrifying thing ever, tied with how scared I was for the both of us right now. And it was all my fault. It was my fault that she was so scared and my fault that daddy was dead because I was a coward. I had power but I didn't know how to use it and I didn't know what to do to stop this from happening. The feelings we'd had all day now made sense. Our parents were going to die and it was all because I was too scared, and too weak, too stupid and too small to do anything about it.

"What have we here?" the figure standing next to my mom said before it walked over to us in a smug way.

"Fuck off" I hissed, pushing my sister behind me and pressing into her, so that she was squashed between my back and the wall. The figured hissed.

"You dare speak to me that way?" it questioned but I glared at it in pure hatred, knowing that this was the original male I had heard and from the sense of power it was giving off, it was in charge. I could see the whites of its eyes through the hood and smell its rotting breath and I crinkled my nose at the smell. It backhanded me, sending me flying across the room and crashing into the dining table, ending in me splitting the wood and crying out in pain when the wood pierced my skin. It had backhanded with such a force. I heard my sister whimper before she screamed.

"Alissa" my mom and I yelled and I got to my feet painfully, my left leg giving way and I saw that the wood had pierced my body in a way that it went through my torso and stuck out at the back of my thigh. I gasped in pain as my head began to spin and my body became hotter, as though I was standing right in front of an open fire before I blinked away the tears. I would not cry, I would not give them the satisfaction and I would not let myself cry when my mom and sister needed me.

The figure had grabbed Liss by her hair and was holding her about a foot off the ground. She was screaming in pain as he walked back over to my mom, the motion causing her to bounce and I stumbled after them, seeing that he had tugged on her hair so much that there were trails of blood running down the side of her face. _Oh Liss I'm so sorry_ I sobbed in my head and she fisted her hands in response.

_I know you are Ali, go and save yourself_ she replied and I sobbed harder.

_NO I'm not leaving you. Forget it_ I sent back and heard her crying again.

See my sister and I had a bond that stretched way deeper than Sam and Dean had ever guessed. We were telepathic, only with each other though and that was why we understood each other so well, at times it was like we were one person split into two different bodies.

The man faced my mother again before throwing Liss to the side and I groaned, pushing myself into a light jog over to her and gathering her into my arms.

"That's what happens when you go back on your deal" the figure said, pointing in the direction of Liss and I, but I tried my best to ignore him.

"My husband made the deal not me" she said, before spitting into the hood of the figure, which only enraged him, I felt his rage in the pit of my stomach before he lashed out and scratched my mom along her face. I jumped in fright, still cradling Liss in my arms, who had drifted off due to the pain in her head.

"I'm not interested in specifics you whore" the man said and I frowned at him, before standing up painfully.

"My mom is not a whore you evil bastard" I said and my mom begged me with her eyes to stay quiet but I was tired, in pain, feeling sick and scared out of my mind. I wanted this to end and for my mom to hug me while I cried and tell me it was okay. The figure turned on me before pointing at me with his finger and I flew backwards, hitting the wall where he pinned me there before waving his finger and I was pushed through the wall. I sobbed in pain as my back hit the floor, causing the piece of wood jutted in my body to be pushed out. I screamed in pain as I heard my mom screaming again, so I pushed myself to my feet, refusing to let myself surrender and saw that the figure was holding a ball of fire in his hand and was running the ball down my mom's body, leaving a trail of burnt, charred skin in its wake.

I gasped and ran as fast as I could over to the sink, turning the tap on where I removed the tap that mom used to wash the plates down and pointed it in the direction of the man with the fire, which hit him and put out the flame instantly because they were situated fairly close to the kitchen part of the room. He looked up and focused entirely on me before I saw him grin and walk over to my sister.

"Looks like little sister will pay for that you brat" he said, before digging his hand into my sister's chest and pulling out her heart. She didn't even have a chance to scream. I choked on a scream, pushing it back as well as the tears before he squeezed the heart, the blood that was inside being pushed out and dripping onto the floor.

My mom screamed and I ran over to her but she twitched her head to her right and I flew in that direction, away from her.

"This is your punishment but your daughter has fire, I might brainwash her and bring her up as my own" the figure hissed and I screamed from where I had fallen on the floor.

That was it! I'd had enough of this! My body heated up, but not from sickness or fear or even because I was tapping into what someone else was feeling. My body heated up from rage and pure hatred at this thing in front of me. I didn't know what it was but he had taken my daddy and my little sister. He would not hurt my mom or me! I refused to let him touch or hurt us again. I wanted him dead! A figure approached me on my left and I turned in that direction. I wanted him dead! I picked up the first thing I found which was a splintered piece of wood and swung it at the figure before stabbing him. He started gurgling as he slumped to the floor and I twisted the wood before pulling it out, pulling a few pieces of his intestines with it before turning on the figure approaching me from behind and swinging at the hood, where I heard the sickening crunch as the wood connected with skull. But I was so consumed by rage that I didn't realise I had killed something with a wooden stake, when I wasn't even that physically strong and never had been. The figure was crouched over my mom saying something and I saw my mom start to glow white, before the white moved out of her and towards the figure. I didn't know what the white stuff was, but knew that it wasn't good so I ran over to the figure and started bashing him with the stick, using my weight behind every hit as the white stuff receded, back inside my mom.

It backed away from my mom where she slumped in her chair, her face ashen, her hair limp, the sparkle in her eyes gone and the energy zapped from her veins. She was limp and lifeless but still alive and in an incredible amount of pain. I could feel her pain as though it was my own. I took a step forwards and the floor squelched beneath my bare feet and out of pure habit I looked down to see that the blood was mixing with water. _I'd left the water running!_ I remembered as I was hit in the chest, sending me spinning into a back summersault in the air and landed on my front, hitting my face off the floor and crying from the burning pain in my nose and the blood that trickled down over my lips and the side of my face.

"Look up Princess, I want you to watch this" the voice urged soothingly and I looked up, not able to stop myself because it felt like my head was attached to a string and the string had been pulled, to lift my head up. I had no control over my muscles. The figure looked down on me and I saw that its skin was pale white with yellow-white swirling eyes. I frowned, because its eyes were like nothing I had ever seen before, not that I had seen much in terms of things like this.

He pointed a finger at my mom and she screamed as a hole was made to the right of where her heart would be and I actually saw part of the muscle of her heart, beating slowly, but instead of pumping blood to her body, the blood was pumped out of the hole, spurting across my face because I had landed about three inches away from her. She panted, trying to regain her breath before she looked up at her murderer's face and spat.

"You can take us, but I won't let you have my only daughter" she said before her lips started moving and she started mumbling something in some sort of language that I'd never heard before but I let my head sink down to the floor, closing my eyes against what my body and heart were feeling as I heard the figure cry out before the body slumped to the floor.

"Ali" my mom sighed and I pushed myself to look at her and she looked down at me, the only parts of her visible were her eyes. Her hazel eyes, with a green rim. It was then that I let myself cry and she cried with me.

"I'm so sorry baby, I'm so sorry" she whispered, no longer having enough energy to talk louder than a whisper. I cried out as I struggled to my knees and started untying her arms and legs, where she pitched forwards, falling off the chair and onto her front with a strangled cry.

"Mom! Mommy" I yelled, turning her onto her back where she gazed up at me, her eyes starting to cloud over.

"I love you my darling. I love you so much and I'm so sorry for all of this. This isn't what I wanted for you" she said and I shook her.

"I don't understand" I cried and she smiled, reaching up to touch my face and I held her hand there, because she wouldn't be strong enough to hold her hand there by herself.

"I don't have time, take my necklace and your sister's and put them on and never take them off. You'll know what to do with them but they will keep you safe and help you when you need them" she said and I frowned.

"Now Ali" she instructed and I ran over to Alissa's body, looking at the silver necklace stained with her blood, which was now drying into a deep red colour which was starting to become crusty. I removed the necklace and fixed it around my own neck, now having two pendants of a green coloured stone that was a small cylinder shape before I bent down and kissed her head.

"I'm sorry my dear sister. Please forgive me, please. I failed but I love you so much" I cried into her head before getting unsteadily to my feet, pushing through the pain to kneel beside my mom again, where her necklace was in her hand.

"Here my daughter" I took it from her and she watched me fix it around my neck before I bent down and kissed her head, pulling back to see her eyes slipping shut.

"Call John, he'll look after you now" she said, before letting out one last breath, her skin glowing a pale white colour before my skin glowed where I was holding her hand.

"Mom! Mommy open your eyes!" I shouted, but she didn't move.

"No please don't leave me. I'm so sorry that I failed you. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you, but please don't leave me on my own. I need you" I cried, before burying my head in her neck, but pulling away when that action caused a slit in her neck to pour blood. I shakily got to my feet and walked over to the phone where I dialled Dean's cell number which I had memorised, knowing that he would answer because his dad might not answer his cell if he was working.

"Dean, please help me" I sobbed into the phone after he greeted me.

"Dad! Sam! It's Ali, something's wrong" he called on the other end.

"Ali?" John Winchester asked, but I didn't reply, because the pain burned out and I cried, slumping to the floor where I hit my head once more and the blackness covered me.

I gasped and jolted upright, pressing a hand over my mouth as I sobbed quietly before I looked to my left and saw that Dean was fast asleep, lying on his stomach like he usually did. The sweat was covering my face, but it was that horrible cold sweat that you made you feel cold to the bone.

"Ali?" came Sam's voice and I looked over to where he was sitting on his bed, the television flickering with the light, but the sound turned down so low that I didn't think he could even hear it.

"Sammy" I sobbed and he shot off the bed and over to me where he hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up, backing us up before we sat down on his bed, with him cradling me on his lap.

"It's okay, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you" he whispered into my hair and I gripped his shirt tighter in my hands, sobbing as he held me tightly against his body, allowing me to feel the comforting thump of his heart.

"I couldn't save them" I cried out as he rocked me from side to side but didn't say anything. For that I was grateful because I didn't want to make up excuses.

"Did you dream of your family?" he whispered into my hair and I nodded, trying to breathe but the sobbing continued, where I made a snorting sound with every breath and sob that I took.

"Deep breaths" he instructed, but I couldn't breathe, I wanted to but I couldn't. All I could smell was blood and death and rotting flesh and bad breath and I could still hear their screams ringing in my ears. I felt myself being lifted and realised that Sam was carrying me bridal style to the bathroom, where he placed the lid on the toilet down and settled me on it, taking a cloth and wetting it before pressing it to my face as I gripped his biceps, feeling myself become calmer as the cool fabric pressed against my flushed, sweaty skin and feeling that Sam was here with me. He was real and safe and even though he reminded me of home, I wouldn't want him to feel any other way. He placed the cloth into the sink before frowning at me worriedly. I sent him a tiny smile.

"I'm sorry for this" I sighed and he shook his head at me, making himself comfortable where he was kneeling in front of me, taking my hands in his.

"Don't apologise Ali, I know what it's like to have nightmares remember?" he asked and I sighed before nodding, focusing on his face and scanning my eyes over his features, needing something to distract me from my thoughts.

"And just like you, I don't want to talk" I sighed and he smiled before kissing my cheek.

"It's fine, I wasn't going to push you to talk anyway. What I want to know is why you are letting me close to you? I had a feeling that you weren't sleeping too well because you were moaning in your sleep, but I would've expected Dean to wake up and comfort you and for you to scream if I approached you?" he asked and I sighed, before placing my forehead against his shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't know" I replied, shrugging at the fact that I wasn't acting like that, when for the first year I had nightmares, Dean would be the only one I would allow to comfort me. I also had to have him sleep with me, or for someone to sleep next to me since having someone's warmth to fall asleep next to allowed me to sleep better. It was strange but worked, and Dean had always been the one I slept next to and always the one who would be allowed to touch me when I woke up, screaming from a nightmare that started to vanish as soon as I woke up.

"Come on you" Sam sighed, pulling me to my feet and I groaned, placing a hand against my side as my scar burned. It only ever did that everytime I had one of those nightmares. Sam frowned and I lifted my top up to see that my scar looked a little red, but that was all. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me back to the main part of the room, where we climbed onto his bed. He sat next to me and urged me to lie down next to him.

"What about you?" I asked sleepily and saw him shrug in response.

"I don't sleep much, but I know how moody you are if you don't get at least eight hours" he smiled down at me and I sighed before nodding.

"You should try sleeping with someone" I yawned and saw him stare down at me in shock. I grinned at him and shook my head.

"I didn't mean like that. I still sleep in the same bed as Dean, even twelve years after what happened simply because his presence soothes me, his body heat helps me sleep, knowing that he is right there. I haven't tried not sleeping next to him because we're both scared that the nightmares will return" I shrugged, talking around a yawn which I let loose. Sam looked down at me playing with my hair while I repositioned myself until I lay my head on his thighs, but he didn't complain he just nodded.

"I'll think about it" was all he said so I sighed before closing my eyes.

"Thank you for being here when I needed you, but you should consider sleeping. I'm here beside you" I yawned and heard him chuckle.

"Close your eyes Ali and go back to sleep. I won't leave you until you wake up" he said and I closed my eyes, the feel of Sam's hand combing through my hair lulling me back to sleep.

I groaned and rolled over, burying my face into Dean's body and hearing him chuckle, but it didn't sound like Dean's laugh.

"Ali?" came Sam's voice and I shot up into a sitting position, blushing when I realised that when I'd repositioned myself, I'd managed to bury my face between Sam's thighs.

"Shit sorry" I said hurriedly and he laughed at me, shaking his head slightly.

"It's okay" he replied and I frowned at him, studying his face before I felt cold, remembering why I was sleeping on Sam and not Dean like I usually did. I sighed and Sam frowned at me before pulling me to his body where he hugged me tightly and I settled into his arms. I hadn't hugged him like this in so long, frightened to touch him because he was still in so much pain after Jess was killed, deciding to just keep my distance from him and stay with Dean like I had done since Sam went to Stanford four years ago. Wow was it really four years? It only felt like half of that, which made sense as to why I kept getting confused between Sam being gone for four, or two years. The first two years dragged by so slowly. Dean was missing his brother, John felt guilty at how he and Sam had parted and I did everything I could to look after them and make them feel better when they needed it. Then these last two years had flown by so quickly due to the fact that we seemed to find more jobs to go on, and the fact that I was able to help out more than what I used to. But after not having Sam around for four years it felt good to hug him again. It was always hard deciding which of the brothers gave the better hugs, but Sam always felt slightly cuddlier than Dean.

"It feels good hugging you again" I sighed and heard him chuckle before I froze and pulled away from him. He frowned at me in confusion but I felt bad, knowing that he was still hurting, so I sighed and smiled instead before glaring at him.

"You let me sleep on you all night without sleeping yourself?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. He sighed in response but didn't reply, instead choosing to shake his head at me.

"Leave it alone please Ali" he pleaded and I bit my lip before nodding and ruffling his hair instead which made him glare at me playfully.

"I'm glad you're up actually" he began, shifting around on the bed so that he could move around me and stand up, stretching his muscles out. I looked away and moved so that my back was resting against the headboard.

"Why's that?" I asked when he'd finished stretching, and I saw that he was a little tired, then again he hadn't had his eight cups of coffee yet. He usually had those before Dean or I woke up, but I could smell caffeine on him straight away. I couldn't today and I found it sweet that he hadn't moved, sticking to his promise to stay with me until I woke up.

"Well I need to get a drink and some food, but I didn't want to wake you so I could leave" he shrugged and I smiled slightly.

"Well thank you for staying with me, but you could've left" I shrugged, to which he rolled his eyes at me and shrugged into his khaki, hooded sweatshirt.

"I'm gonna get some coffee and whatnot, I won't be long" he said and I nodded before sliding of the bed.

"Lock the door behind you then, I'm gonna hop into the shower" I replied and he nodded, the two of us heading in those directions.

I stripped down and stood under the spray for a minute or so, allowing my body to adapt to the cold water, where I then quickly scrubbed myself and washed my hair before turning the shower off and wrapping a towel around myself. I crept quietly into the room and gathered my duffel before removing my clothes for the day as the door opened and I saw Sam's figure pause in the doorway before he closed the door behind him. Dean shifted on the bed, moving his hand beneath his pillow as Sam rounded the corner, carrying three coffees on the take-out cardboard holders. He started upwards, turning over his shoulder, but keeping his hand beneath the pillow before relaxing when he saw it was his brother.

"Morning sunshine" Sam taunted and Dean groaned before flopping back down on the bed.

"What time is it?" he asked sleepily.

"It's about five forty-five" Sam stated and I frowned at how early it was. Great!

"In the morning?" Dean asked and I snorted.

"Yes idiot. Like I would let you sleep in past ten in the morning" I said and Dean groaned.

"Where does the day go?" he questioned and I snorted as he sat up.

"What are you doing awake? And wearing nothing but a towel?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at him, grateful that I'd showered before he woke so that any traces of last night would be washed down the drain. I shrugged in response.

"I woke up in the middle of the night to find you'd taken up the bed again. I nearly fell on the floor so Sam kindly let me sleep with him" I shrugged, I hated lying to Dean but he had enough to deal with considering that Sam was having trouble sleeping. Besides I was hoping that last night was a one time thing that happened from time to time when I became too stressed. I wasn't going to worry him unless the nightmares became a permanent thing again. I saw Sam glance at me carefully but I shook my head stiffly at him before pulling my clothes out of my duffel and disappearing back into the bathroom, switching the towel to wrap it round my head while I got dressed and put on deodorant, walking back into the room to see that Sam and Dean were sitting down on the beds facing each other. Sam smiled and handed me a coffee and something in a brown, paper bag which I took gratefully and sat next to him, bringing my legs up and crossing them under me.

"New fashion statement?" Sam asked and I turned to look at him before grinning.

"Yeah, I'm thinking it might distract whatever we face next long enough for you guys to kill it. Think it'll work?" I asked and he shrugged before snorting a laugh.

"It's possible" he said and I grinned as I started drinking the coffee, smiling to myself when Sam remembered that I liked it sweet.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Dean asked and I looked up to see that he was focused on Sam. He shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah I grabbed a couple of hours" he said and Dean snorted.

"Liar. I was up at three, and you were watching a George Foreman infomercial" Dean frowned and Sam shrugged in response, where I smiled slightly, knowing he was going to say something silly in response.

"What can I say? It's riveting TV" he said and I laughed into my coffee before Dean turned to frown at me and I shrugged in response.

"Well Sam couldn't have gotten much sleep considering that I woke up lying all over him" I shrugged and Dean grinned, making both Sam and I roll our eyes at him.

"Don't say whatever you are thinking you pervert" I stated, already knowing what he was thinking because I could see the thought on my face. He was going to ask what position I'd woken up in and why Sam didn't push me onto the floor. He pouted playfully instead and I laughed.

"Drink your coffee" I said and he did just that before shaking his head.

"Seriously, when was the last time you got a good night's sleep?" Dean asked and Sam sighed, shifting his weight on the bed next to me before shrugging.

"I don't know, a while I guess. It's no big deal" he replied and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah it is Sammy" I frowned and he glared at me, telling me to shut it and I turned away, knowing that I couldn't really lecture him after my nightmare last night, but I still managed to go back to sleep.

"Look I appreciate that you are both concerned" he began and Dean snorted.

"Oh I'm not concerned about you. It's your job to keep my ass alive, so I need you sharp" Dean joked and I grinned at him before shrugging at Sam who looked at me questioningly before he started tugging on my towel wrapped hair, making the towel unwind and flop onto the floor while my hair fell around my face. I looked at him through the curtain of hair that had fallen over my face before I swept it back with my hand and he smiled, shrugging at me.

"It was distracting" he said and I hummed in thought.

"Perhaps I should tie-dye a towel and use that next time" I shrugged and he laughed before pulling my duffel over and rummaging around, pulling out a brush and sitting behind me where he started brushing my hair, careful when he brushed the tangles out. I frowned at this before grinning at Dean, making him frown.

"You know Sam, it's a good thing I'm not on my period otherwise there would've been boxes of tampons in there" I shrugged and he laughed form behind me, but I froze, wincing mentally when I thought how stupid that was. He'd had a girlfriend while he'd been in college and he'd lived with her, so that mustn't faze him anymore. Dean, on the other hand, shuddered from where he was sitting watching us.

"Now see, I remember that Dean used to brush my hair, and you used to plait it for me" I said and Dean snorted in response as Sam laughed.

"Yeah well, Dean purposely used to brush your hair so he could yank at the tangles, especially if you'd pissed him off that day" Sam stated and I shrugged in response, looking at Dean who sent me an apologetic smile.

"Oh I know, that was why I put itching power in his boxes the once because he'd pulled out a shitload of hair" I shrugged and Dean glared at me, before he frowned at Sam over my shoulder and I sighed, knowing their conversation wasn't over yet.

"But seriously, you still having nightmares about Jess?" Dean asked and Sam breathed out slowly and quietly, but I heard and felt his breath against the back of my head. I felt him shrug as he continued brushing out my hair, which I now realised was down to the bottom of my back, just above my ass.

"Yeah, but it's not just her. It's everything. I just forgot you, man this job, it's gets to you" he said and I nodded in response, agreeing with him.

"I get that Sam, it's the same with me too. But you have to try your best to push that shit away, you know, you can't bring it with you otherwise it'll weigh you down" I shrugged and Sam paused in brushing my hair as Dean nodded.

"I agree with Ali, about the not bringing it home" he said and I frowned at him curiously.

"What, so all this? It doesn't get to you? It doesn't keep you up at night?" Sam asked and Dean shrugged before shaking his head.

"Never? You're never scared?" Sam pushed again and Dean shook his head in again.

"No, not really" he replied but that was bullshit. He was scared, not of what was out there, but scared at the consequences of the job, of the people we could lose who we were trying to protect or even losing each other. He just hid it better, but I would never tell him that I knew that. Dean was a tough guy, he never wanted anyone to know his deepest thoughts and fears and I kept myself closed off to that, but occasionally he became a little emotional deep inside. He was human after all. I smiled and slid closer to the edge of the bed before reaching over to Dean and sliding my hand under his pillow, withdrawing the weapon- which was a knife- that he always had there, before showing it to him. He frowned and took it off me.

"That's not fear. That's precaution" he stated and I rolled my eyes before sitting back near to Sam where he started plaiting my hair for me, which would be nice for a change since I was tired of ponytails, plus I found a way to keep my hair out of the way and a plait would be easier to tie up this way than a ponytail. Sam sighed.

"Alright, whatever, I'm too tired to argue" he said and I frowned, the guilt bubbling up and making my shoulders tense up. I felt bad that I'd probably kept him from sleeping last night, but Sam's response was to hold my hair and grip my shoulder with his other hand, digging his thumb in a little to try and ease my tense muscles, telling me without verbally speaking that it wasn't my fault. I sighed and relaxed my shoulders, where Sam carried on plaiting as Dean's phone rang.

"Hello?" Dean asked and I knew that he didn't recognise the number that had flashed up on his phone. He frowned for a second before recognition dawned and he nodded.

"Oh right, yeah. Up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. The poltergeist thing. It's not back is it?" he listed off and I frowned, trying to think of the guy that had needed our help. His name had been Jerry but I couldn't remember his surname.

"What is it?" Dean asked and I frowned as Sam tapped my back, telling me he was done so I slid off the bed and tugged my socks and boots on, tucking my black, skinny jeans inside the boots and going over to my duffel where I pulled out the chopsticks I'd bought from a market, of course I'd checked that they weren't cursed or anything like that, and they were perfectly fine. I grabbed the plait and wound it around before inserting the chopsticks into my hair.

"Okay where?" Dean asked before he snapped his phone shut as I inserted the second one, making sure that my hair hid them which wasn't too hard since my hair had darkened over the last twelve years, to the point where it was black, with tinges of mahogany, caramel and slight tints of blue depending on the light. My eyes were still the same, however there were the occasional flecks of blue. I turned away from the mirror that was hanging up on the wall and faced Dean.

"Where to?" I asked him and he smiled as I walked over and packed my duffel up and followed Dean out of the room and over to the Impala.

"That hairdo suits you" he said and I grinned in response before he poked me, so I poked him back as we all placed our duffels in the backseat, where I then followed through with sliding in and shutting the door behind me, the boys doing the same.

Dean started the engine and backed out making me frown, before shrugging since I'd gathered that we'd already settled the payments needed, though I knew that Dean paid for the room a week or so in advance just in case, we only ever settled small stupid things anyway when we moved.

We hopped out of the Impala and I frowned at the fact that we were at an airplane hangar.

"What the hell?" I asked Dean and he shrugged in response.

"I don't know, Jerry told me to come here" he replied and I nodded slowly before following him inside, where I recognised the man standing talking to someone.

"Jerry" I called out and he turned; waving us over before saying something to the other guy he was talking to.

"Thanks for making the trip so quick. I ought to be doing you guys a favour not the other way around" he said, leading us through the hangar where we passed different sized airplanes, before turning to Sam.

"Dean and your dad really helped me out" Jerry stated and Sam nodded.

"Yeah he told me, it was a poltergeist right?" he asked and Jerry nodded as a guy passed in front of us.

"_Poltergeist_? Man I loved that movie" the guy said and I looked at Dean before snorting a laugh as Jerry held his hands out in annoyance. I added the movie to my mental list of 'things to do on a dull day' not that that would ever happen. But I hadn't seen that movie so it was on my list anyway.

"Nobody's talking to you, keep moving" he said, before we passed the guy, continuing to walk through the rows of planes.

"Damn right it was a poltergeist and a nasty one at that. Almost tore my house apart. Tell you something if it wasn't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't be alive" Jerry said, directing the last sentence at Dean before turning his attention back to Sam.

"What about you, your dad said you were at college?" he asked and Sam looked at the floor briefly before looking back up.

"Yeah I was, I'm…um taking some time off" he replied and I smiled up at him encouragingly, making him smile back at me as Jerry nodded in response.

"Well he was real proud of you, I could tell. Talked about you all the time" Jerry said and I grinned in response, knowing that John was in fact proud of his younger son but he had trouble showing things to his boys after Mary died.

"He did?" Sam asked and I could tell he was surprised at this.

"Yeah, you bet he did. Hey, I tried to get a hold of him. How's he doing anyway?" I glanced over at Dean before shrugging.

"He's doing good thanks, just tied up in a tough job at the moment" I replied and Jerry turned to look at me curiously.

"Well, we're missing the old man but we get Sam anyway. Even trade" Jerry said and I rolled my eyes as Dean laughed slightly. We were missing the old man, but Jerry had no idea how much and how badly.

"No, not by a long shot" Sam sighed and I nudged his arm, before frowning at him, he rolled his eyes at me and shrugged in response.

"I got something I want you guys to hear" Jerry said, walking ahead slightly with Dean behind him but I stuck by Sam's side.

"There's only room for one of us to be doubting themselves in this trio" I said, poking his arm before jogging to catch up to Dean as Sam walked up onto my other side while Jerry led us into a room and closed the door behind him, but Sam didn't continue the conversation. It was a small office with a desk and filing cabinets, just how you would expect an office to look like.

"I listened to this, and thought it might be up your alley" he said, taking out a CD from on his desk and inserting it into the drive as Sam and Dean sat down on the chairs provided and I stood behind them, leaning on the backs of both their chairs.

"Normally I wouldn't have access to this. It was a recording in the cockpit for United Britannia flight 2485. It's one of ours" he stated, pressing play and taking a seat on the chair behind the desk.

"Mayday, Mayday! Repeat! 2485… immediate instruction, may be experiencing mechanical failures…" the male voice on the recording said before there was a whooshing sound.

"Took off from here, crashed about two hundred miles south. They're saying it's a mechanical failure. Cabin depressurized somehow. Nobody knows why. Over a hundred people on board and only seven got out alive. Pilot was one. His name is Chuck Lambert. He's a good friend of mine. Chuck is, uh...well, he's pretty broken up about it. Like it was his fault" Jerry explained and I frowned.

"You don't think it was?" I asked, sensing that he didn't agree with his friend. Jerry shook his head at me.

"No I don't" he stated and I knew he believed that, so I nodded in response.

"Jerry we're gonna need passenger manifests…um, a list of survivors" Sam began, ticking the things off on his fingers and I nodded in agreement with him.

"And, is there any chance we can take a look at the wreckage?" Dean asked and Jerry thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Now the other things won't be a problem. But the wreckage… well the NTSB has it on lockdown, there's no way I have that kind of clearance" he said and I nodded in response before exchanging a look with Dean, where we both grinned slightly.

"Don't worry about it, it isn't a problem" I said, tearing my gaze away to nod at Jerry politely and hide my grin.

We said our goodbyes before leaving the office and the hangar and heading towards the Impala, where we climbed in and Dean drove into town, looking for something though I didn't know what, and that was weird because I could usually guess what Dean was going to do.

It didn't take long though and he soon pulled up outside of a Copy Jack, before climbing out and slamming the door behind him, not waiting for Sam or myself which made me think he didn't really care if we followed or not. I frowned at Sam and he turned in his seat to shrug at me before we climbed out of the car and sat on the hood, something that I could see Dean being pissed off about but I wasn't too worried. I dug my hand into the pocket of my jacket and took out a pack of cookies, before opening them and offering one to Sam. He smiled, and lifted his eyebrows.

"Cookies?" he asked and I shrugged in response so he laughed and took one.

"Do you remember when you guys would visit every now and then? And you guys always shared with me because the spare room was given to your dad and we all preferred sleeping in my room instead of splitting you and Dean between Alissa and I?" I asked and Sam smiled slightly before nodding as he munched on the cookie. I took another one out and passed it to him.

"Do you remember that one night where Liss came into the room because she could hear us whispering and we'd kept her awake?" I asked and Sam scoffed a laugh while I watched his face, seeing that he remembered.

"Yeah, we were talking about things in general and then we snuck downstairs and raided the junk food cabinet before taking like six packs of cookies back to your room and eating the evidence" he grinned, making me grin too before and I sighed, shaking my head at him.

"No we talked about my life, you and Dean always steered the conversation away from you whenever I questioned you guys about it" I sighed and Sam frowned before shrugging, making me sigh.

"I'm sorry" I said and my friend looked at me, his brows furrowing in confusion and I fisted my hands, resisting the urge to smooth his eyebrows out with my finger. Which was a weird urge really! What did it mean? I sighed as I watched Sam's face.

"I'm sorry for everything you know. Everything that you have gone through in your twenty two years. Sorry for Dean and I pulling you away from college and sorry for all the pain you are feeling. I'm so sorry that I can't do anything to help you Sam. And even more sorry that you got landed with my ass" I sighed, swallowing around the lump in my throat and rubbing my hands over my face to push back the tears that wanted to spill over. Man I needed to get a grip. I heard Sam sigh before he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his side.

"I don't know why you're apologising for things that you have no control over?" he asked and I shrugged before looking up at his face, and seeing the confusion etched once again into his eyebrows. I shook my head at him and shuffled around so that the cookies lay on my lap and I could lean backwards on my hands and look at him. I sighed before shaking my head.

"I don't know, after last night and seeing that after my mom died I went straight for the phone and called you guys instead of the police. Well I can't help but think that if I hadn't called you guys at all, things might be different" I said and Sam snorted before he shook his head and shifted his weight so that he was sitting crossed legged, though I'm surprised he could sit comfortably considering how long his legs were. He frowned at me.

"What's the real reason you're saying this to me?" he asked and I blinked before looking away. Damn it, how was it that Sam could see things so easily, whereas it took Dean a while to figure these things out? Then again, for some reason I would never have said this to Dean though it was because I wouldn't want him to worry. He worried too easily and too much, though he would never show it unless it was needed.

"Ali?" Sam pushed again and I turned to look at him, making him frown and shift his weight closer to me, his knees digging into the side of my thigh. I shook my head at him and closed my eyes, willing the tears away but they fell instead. I took in a deep shaky breath, before crossing my legs and placing my hands on my thighs.

"Because Sam, I'm bad luck. I see that now. I was with my family, I watched them die in front of me and I didn't do a damn thing about it. Dean and I had dropped you off before coming back the night Jess died. I can't help but think you and Dean and John, when he shows his face again, would be better off without me. Everyone I love dies and if it wasn't for the three of you, I don't even know how I would've gotten up in the morning" I whispered, as I felt Sam's hand on my own, so I turned my hand over and laced my fingers with his. The feel of his skin, not completely smooth, but not completely rough either, against my own made my turn and look up at him where he frowned when he saw my face.

"You really think this?" he asked and I swallowed before nodding.

"Ali, why do you think so low of yourself? Saying you're a crap Hunter, which isn't true by the way, and then blaming yourself for every bad thing in our lives. Jesus Ali, how can you blame yourself for anything? You don't control the cosmic order of things. Besides isn't it you who believes things happen for a reason? Maybe the reason for everything happening to all of us will be shown soon, but if it wasn't for you, I think Dean, dad and I would've gotten into a load more fights. You always place yourself in the middle of everything. You're always there for us whenever we need a hug, someone to talk to, or just to sit beside you and share your company. Like you always say to us, we can't focus on the bad things in our life because sooner or later they will tear us apart. You need to learn to take your own advice Ali, because if it wasn't for you, I don't know how Dean or I would've coped some days" he sighed and I squeezed his hands, smiling at him and he smiled sadly back before I shrugged.

"I know, I overthink things too much" I sighed and he snorted.

"That's an understatement" he said and I poked my tongue out at him, making him laugh as I shook my head.

"I think that, after having that nightmare again for the first time in about three years, it just made me think. Reliving that night and remembering how helpless I felt, well I don't ever want to feel that way again. And the only way that would happen was if anything were to happen to you, or Dean, or John" I sighed, frowning and Sam smiled at me before shrugging.

"Well that's why you're here, to keep our crazy asses under control and smacking us over the head when we don't think rationally" he shrugged and I grinned.

"Do I have permission to do that?" I asked and he rolled his eyes at me.

"If you have to, but you know I'll always help you when Dean becomes too much" he shrugged and I laughed.

"After all these years you have no faith in me being able to keep him under control?" I questioned and Sam grinned at me before shaking his head and focusing back on my face, fixing me with a look.

"Don't keep doubting yourself Ali. You're an important part of the team, plus we love you. We need you to keep us in line" he shrugged and I laughed before rolling my eyes and glaring at him.

"And you Mister, need to take your own advice. What was that back there, doubting yourself? I never thought I would see the day where a Winchester doubted his mad hunting skills" I joked and Sam smiled, but it wasn't the smile of his that I loved so much. Wait what?

"Well it isn't exactly a fair trade, me for dad?" he said, but it sounded more like a question.

"You're right, it's not" I shrugged and Sam looked sad, which made me smile.

"It's better, you were always more fun than your dad" I shrugged and he laughed before rolling his eyes at me and stealing a cookie from the packet and eating the whole thing. I frowned at him.

"You have a big mouth and long legs" I stated and he glared at me which made me laugh before I reached for a cookie but he moved it out of my reach, making me frown and reach again, but Sam slid off the car so that he didn't fall off, making me fall on my face, stretched across the hood. He began laughing at me and I slid off the car before chasing him around the Impala.

"Give me those cookies back!" I shouted before we stopped at opposite sides of the car and he grinned cheekily.

"Nope, they are mine now" he stated, taking one out of the packet before stuffing it in his mouth and moaning loudly, making a woman who was walking passed look at us curiously. I smiled and nodded at her before frowning at Sam, where we both laughed and I took his momentary lapse of concentration to my advantage and ran around the car, before jumping on his back, making me squeal when he straightened up.

"Dude, you're a giant" I said, tightening my legs around his waist as I wrapped my arms around his neck, reaching for the cookies which he kept out of my reach and I groaned.

"What is it with you and my height? Just because you're a dwarf" he said, shrugging his shoulders, making me bobble and I sighed into his ear.

"Because you and Dean teased me enough about my shortness when I was younger. Besides I've never actually had a piggyback from you" I said and he snorted.

"That's a lie, I gave you one for your thirteenth, remember?" he pointed out and I hummed in thought before nodding. That was true.

"Okay, but you weren't over six foot then" I retorted and he nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll give you a piggyback now" he said and I laughed before tightening my hold on him as he gripped my knees and ran down the street with me, making me laugh loudly. He ran back and I let go of his shoulder to place my hand in the air and twirl it as though I was twirling a piece of rope.

"I'm a real life cowgirl!" I whooped and Sam burst into fits of laughter, as passers-by gave us weird looks, but we were too busy laughing to care.

We reached the Impala and saw that there was no sign of Dean which meant he was still inside as I slid down Sam's back, where he didn't let me go until my feet were safely on the floor, then again he was a whole foot taller than me. Sam and I looked at each other before shrugging and returning to the car, where I sat in the back with my laptop as Sam sat in the front.

"Okay, I take the recording, you check the survivors?" I asked and Sam nodded in response.

"Good plan" he replied, smiling at me before pulling out his laptop and logging onto his emails since Jerry had said he would email them to Sam.

About an hour or so later, after Sam and I had been finished for a while and were just hanging around the car, finishing off the cookies, Dean walked out, glancing at a woman briefly and saying 'hi' before looking at the two of us and grinning.

"What the hell have you two been doing?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at him, sensing that he was teasing us so I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Lots why?" I replied and Dean snorted.

"I meant the piggyback ride earlier" he stated and I frowned.

"How did you see that?" Sam asked curiously and Dean chuckled.

"Dude there are these things called windows" Dean said sarcastically and I rolled my eyes at him again.

"We were having fun, since you are turning into a boring old man" I shrugged and Dean smirked at me.

"Oh really?" he asked before advancing on me and grabbing me by the waist and spinning me around, making me laugh before he settled me down.

"Okay Dean, you're living the wild life" I laughed and he grinned as Sam leant against the side of the car and I smiled at Sam before looking back at Dean.

"Dude what happened, you've been forever" Sam said, exaggerating it a little. I rolled my eyes as Dean showed us three ID's.

"Yeah well, you can't rush perfection" Dean stated as Sam and I took the ID's from him before I frowned.

"Homeland Security?" Sam asked and I frowned at Dean.

"That's pretty illegal, even for us" Sam said and I nodded slowly in response but hey, what was the point in doing this job and not getting paid for it if you couldn't have fun through committing serious offences of identity fraud? If killing creatures wasn't enough of a rush, then committing fraud was a close second since we could be tracked.

"Yeah well it's something different. People haven't seen it a thousand times" Dean replied and I smiled at his way of thinking. He moved around to climb into the car and Sam and I walked around to the other side.

"Hey, thanks" I whispered to him and he grinned down at me before shrugging.

"Anytime, even the most strongest of people need a shoulder every now and then" he stated and I smiled at him before shaking my head.

"Well don't expect me to freak out on you too much" I replied and he shook his head before we climbed into the car.

"Alright, so what do you got?" Dean asked and I settled into the chair as Sam pulled out a recorder that we had been working with earlier on.

"Well there's definitely EVP in the cockpit voice recorder" Sam stated and Dean glanced at him quickly.

"Yeah?" he asked, before turning away and Sam nodded, before pressing a button on the recorder, which no longer had the voice of the Pilot on but something else entirely.

"No survivors" the gravelly voice said and I frowned, still trying to figure out what it meant.

"'No survivors'? What does that mean? There were seven survivors" Dean asked and Sam shrugged.

"Got me" he replied and I knew he meant that he was just as confused.

"So what are you thinking? A haunted flight?" Dean asked and I frowned in thought, continuing to listen to their conversation.

"Well there's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships, like phantom travellers" Sam stated and I bit my lip as Dean hummed in thought.

"What about flight 401?" Sam asked and I let my lip go before shrugging to myself.

"Yeah, the one that crashed. The airline salvaged some of the parts, put them in other planes and the ghosts of the pilot and co-pilot haunted those planes" I stated and both boys nodded from the front.

"Right" Sam stated as Dean said "Yep" at the same time.

"Could it be the same thing?" I asked and Sam shrugged.

"Could be" he replied.

"Alright, so the survivors, who do you want to talk to first?" Dean asked Sam.

"Third on the list, Max Jaffey" Sam stated and I frowned.

"Why him?" I asked and Sam shuffled slightly to angle his head in my direction.

"Because for one he's from around here and two if anyone saw anything weird he did" Sam stated.

"What makes you say that?" Dean asked and Sam looked at him.

"Because I talked to his mother" he began, "-and when I asked about him, she said he'd checked himself into a mental institute" Sam finished and I frowned at how weird that was as Sam told Dean the address and we drove in the direction of Riverfront Psychiatric Hospital.

The boys climbed out of the car and I followed after them as we walked up to the woman in a pale pink nurse uniform who was sitting behind a computer, typing something on there. Dean cleared his throat to get her attention and she looked up before smiling at the boys, before her gaze landed on me and she frowned. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her, knowing that that wouldn't have been very professional of me, so I sent her a bright, charming smile instead and she frowned harder before turning away and focusing on Sam and Dean.

"What can I do for you?" she asked and I bit the inside of my cheek, getting pissed off at how she was checking them out, something which I was used to, but for some reason I was in a bad mood ever since we had gotten in the car to come here. Sam sent her a smile which made her blink.

"We're looking for a Mr Max Jaffey?" he asked and the woman nodded, before typing his name into the computer and looking back up at us.

"He is located in room 203, but if he isn't there then he is probably outside on the deck somewhere" she said and the three of us nodded.

"Thanks" Sam said, before we walked off and I frowned at the signs we passed, but found that we were on the right floor, so we sought out room 203 and it was me who found it, but the door stood ajar and there was no one inside, so with a sigh I headed back to the boys and shrugged. They understood what I meant so we headed outside to the porch where we looked for the man, finding him fairly easy as he was walking down the deck in our direction, wearing a white patient's uniform and using a stick to support his right side. I walked over to him.

"Mr Jaffey?" I asked as I approached him. He frowned and nodded at me so I smiled as I felt Sam and Dean stand behind me.

"We're with Homeland Security and were hoping we could ask you a few questions about the plane crash you were involved in?" I asked and he frowned, but Dean held out the ID he had and the man nodded, before leading us down the steps towards a grassy area.

"I don't understand, I already spoke to Homeland Security" he said and Sam nodded from where he was walking in between Max Jaffey and myself.

"Right. Some new information has come up, so if you could answer some questions for us…" Dean said, from the man's other side. And he nodded before approaching a patio set, with a black table and four chairs, where the four of us sat down, making it easier to face each other.

"Just before the plane went down did you notice anything…unusual?" Sam asked.

"Something like flickering lights, weird noises, maybe. Voices" Dean listed and he shook his head.

"No, nothing like that"

"Mr Joffey-" Dean began and Max Jaffey frowned in response.

"Jaffey" he corrected and Dean nodded.

"Right" he said and I rolled my eyes at him before leaning forwards on my arms, which I'd placed on the table.

"Mr Jaffey, you checked yourself in here, right?" I asked and he nodded in response.

"May I ask why?" and he shrugged at my question.

"I just survived a plane crash, I was a little stressed" he replied and I sat back in my seat in frustration. He wasn't telling us anything.

"Uh huh, and that's what terrified you?" Dean asked and I heard the tone of sarcasm in his voice, suggesting that he didn't believe the man either.

"I…I don't want to talk about this anymore" he replied, sitting back in his chair and I swallowed the groan of frustration that I wanted to release.

"See I think maybe you did see something" Dean said and Max Jaffey turned to look at him.

"Well I was…I was delusional, seeing things" was his response and Dean looked at Sam and I in disbelief.

"He was seeing things" he parroted and I rolled my eyes at him, since that wasn't necessary.

"It's okay, just tell us what you _thought_ you saw then please" Sam encouraged and the man sitting opposite me sighed.

"There was this…man and he had these uh…these eyes- black eyes. And I thought I saw him uh…" Max rambled and I could tell that he was a little scared.

"What?" I asked as gently as possible and Max turned to look at me.

"I thought I saw him open the emergency exit" he stated before blinking and looking at Sam and Dean, "-but that's impossible right?" he asked them before frowning, "-I mean, I looked it up, there's like two tons of pressure on that door" he said but I couldn't tell whether he believed it or not. It was more of a feeling I had where he was trying to persuade himself.

"Yeah" Dean said and Sam leaned forwards a little.

"This man, did he disappear and reappear quickly? It would look something like a mirage?" Sam asked and Max Jaffey frowned at him in confusion.

"What, are you nuts?" he asked Sam, who tilted his head in confusion. I found that kind of ironic, the guy who had admitted himself to a mental hospital was asking someone if they were nuts. I looked at Dean and smiled slightly, making him shake his head to cover a smile of his own, obviously he thought the same thing.

"He was a passenger, he was sitting right in front of me" Max answered and I blinked in surprise. So that ruled out any ghosts haunting the plane. I sent Max a smile and stood up, signalling for the guys to do the same and they did.

"Thank you Mr Jaffey, I think that's all we need" I said, before sending him a nod, while Sam shook his hand and we walked off, back through the Psychiatric hospital and towards the Impala.

"Well that rules out ghosts" I sighed as we climbed inside and Dean started the car before nodding and I sighed before tapping Sam on the shoulder.

"Can you use the list of passengers that Jerry gave you to find out who was sitting in front of Max?" I questioned and Sam nodded, before removing the piece of paper that he had been given and scanning the list.

"Okay I know where we're going" Sam stated and Dean nodded as I turned out of the window while Sam rattled off the address of where the passenger used to live and we pulled up outside of a pleasant house, one that I would associate with families and white picket fence life. Which it looked like it belonged to a family with money.

"Okay so here we are. George Phelps, seat 20C" Sam stated and Dean sighed.

"Man, I don't care how strong you are. Even yoked up on PCP or something, there's no way you can open an emergency exit in the middle of a flight" Dean said as we climbed out of the car and slammed the doors closed behind us.

"Not if you're human, but maybe if you're some kind of creature" Sam suggested and I frowned at him before turning away and looking at the house, shaking my head as I did so.

"Does that look like a creature's lair to you?" Dean asked and I saw Sam turn and assess the house before he sighed and shrugged. The house looked perfectly ordinary.

We all turned and walked over to the house, approaching the door where Dean knocked and a woman answered.

"Mrs Phelps?" Dean asked and she nodded before he held up his badge.

"We'd like to ask you some questions if that's okay?" he asked and the woman nodded, before standing aside and letting us into the living room. It was a nice place.

We all took a seat, Mrs Phelps on the couch and Sam, Dean and myself on the chairs opposite her. Well the boys sat but I stood, I hating sitting down and preferred standing behind the boys, it was a strange thing I'd always done for as long as I'd helped with interviewing people.

"What can you tell us about your husband Mrs Phelps?" I asked her politely and she thought for a moment before saying the first thing that popped into her head.

"Well he was a dentist, and he liked his work" she shrugged before I nodded.

"This is your late husband?" Sam asked, showing the woman a framed photo that was placed on a cabinet next to where he was sitting. She smiled sadly and nodded.

"Yes that was my George" she replied.

"And you said he was a dentist?" Dean asked, just to double check and she nodded in response.

"He was headed to a convention in Denver. Did you know he was petrified to fly? For him to go like that…" she replied trailing off and I sensed her sadness at how he died in the one way he was afraid of dying.

"How long were you married?" Sam asked her.

"Thirteen years"

"In all that time did you ever notice anything…strange or out of the ordinary with your husband?" I questioned and she frowned at me.

"Well… he had acid reflux, if that's what you mean?" was her answer and I frowned in response as the boys glanced at each other. Well whatever had happened, I doubted that George Phelps was anything out of the ordinary.

"Thank you for your time Mrs Phelps" Sam said politely, before standing up and Dean followed suit before we showed ourselves out of the house, and I sighed quietly. Well that was unnecessary though I suppose it ruled out the man.

"I mean it goes without saying. It just doesn't make sense" Sam stated and Dean shrugged as we walked down the stairs.

"A dentist with an ulcer isn't exactly evil personified. What we do need to do is get into the NTSB warehouse, check out the wreckage" Dean suggested and we nodded in response.

"Okay but if we're gonna do that route, then we need to look the part" Sam said before climbing into the car. Dean and I looked at each other before shrugging and climbing into the car at the same time.

Dean stopped the car when Sam told him to and we both frowned at Sam, which made him smile and climb out of the car. I frowned up at the suit rental shop and climbed out of the car as Dean did the same.

"Come on guys" Sam sighed, urging us forwards. Dean walked in front but I stayed where I was and I shook my head in response.

"Nope, I think I'll let you guys handle this one" I said and they turned to look at me, frowning in confusion and I grinned at them.

"Well this is a suit rental guys" I stated and Sam looked back at me in annoyance, as though I was telling a child something it already knew.

"Yeah" he drawled and I rolled my eyes.

"Can you really see me in a suit? Besides I have a feeling that to 'look the part' I would have to wear a skirt. There is no way I am trying to run in a skirt" I shrugged and Dean shrugged at Sam in response.

"She has a point man, I don't remember Ali ever wearing a skirt so I doubt she could run in one, especially a tailored suit" Dean reasoned and I smiled at my brother, which made him smile back and Sam nodded in agreement before they turned and walked into the shop.

I leant against the side of the Impala; waiting for them to return so they could hear any jokes I made as soon as I soon them. I was looking forward to taking the piss out of them, especially Dean since he teased me endlessly. Luckily though they didn't take long, since I saw their figures approaching the doors, before they pushed them open. My jaw went slack and I gaped at them as Sam adjusted his collar. Holy crap on a cracker, they looked smokin' hot!

Both of them wore crisp black suits with white shirts and black ties. Dean looked extremely uncomfortable.

"What happened to you? The suit giving you a wedgie?" I asked Dean, since his face looked pained.

"Man, I look like one of the Blues brothers" he sighed and I grinned in response before shrugging.

"That's who I was thinking of" I nodded slowly and Sam shot me a glare, so I smiled and he rolled his eyes at me, knowing I was teasing my brother.

"In fact, you look like an undertaker" I shrugged and Sam shook his head.

"Nah, he actually looks more like a… seventh grader at his first dance" Sam taunted and I laughed in response as Dean glared at the two of us before I shrugged, deciding that I needed to be nice.

"Actually, you both look real good. I would totally jump you if that wasn't weird" I shrugged and Dean smirked so I winked playfully at him as Sam looked at me in shock, so I frowned.

"What?" I asked and he shook his head.

"What Sammy?" I asked, knowing that it annoyed him whenever we called him that. He narrowed his eyes before shrugging.

"Nothing it's just that, I never would've expected you to say something like that" he stated and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes well, my boys have never looked so fine before" I grinned and Dean smirked before nudging Sam's arm as the younger brother shook his head and walked up to me, where he opened the passenger door and I swore I saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink, but I couldn't have been correct since it disappeared just as quickly as I saw Dean look down at himself and sigh in frustration.

"I hate this" he stated and Sam turned to look back at him, frowning in response.

"You want to get in to that warehouse or not?" he replied and Dean sighed in response, so I shrugged.

"If it's in lockdown, then not even your mad skills can get you passed security without an alarm being raised. This is the only option Dean" I shrugged and he shrugged before walking over and climbing into the car.

I sighed as I played with the radio in the car while I waited for the guys to come back out as I let my mind wander. I don't ever recall seeing them in suits before and I knew this because I was positive that I would remember how they looked. They had never looked so damn fine before, and three years ago I never would've said that to their face, but after staying with Dean for over a year and a half, working jobs with him more that John, well he brought out the ballsy side of me that I didn't realise I had, though with Sam back as Dean's partner in crime, I didn't need that side so much, so I'd reverted back to my quiet, observational self where I only gave input when it was needed and spent the rest of the time being the nerd and researching anything and everything that might be needed for the current case. Three was an awkward number, so I couldn't really do much since the boys were more experienced than me, but if I got to see them in suits more often, then I totally would be happy with being in the backseat, figuratively speaking of course, I preferred the passenger seat when in the car but oh well.

I heard car doors slam and looked over to see two suited men climb out of a sleek black car. I would guess and say it was a Mercedes but I was more into… well anything but cars really, that was why John had left the Impala to Dean and gotten himself a truck a few years ago, whether he still had the truck though was a question since his license plates hadn't dug up any sign of him. They walked towards the warehouse and I groaned.

"Shit" I cursed under my breath, knowing that this wasn't good because they were real officers or government officials or whatever, but luckily we had parked the car so that I wouldn't be seen so easily but that I could still see out. I took my cell out of my pocket, since I had one but never used it. I didn't see the point really, the only time I used it was to contact one of the boys since we used newspapers and the internet to look for jobs, it was rare that we came across a job from someone calling us. I unlocked the keypad before scrolling down to Dean's number on my contacts, torn as to whether I should call him and warn him, or whether I shouldn't and reduce the risk of them being found if they were hiding since Dean never had his phone on silent. I sighed and locked the keypad again, going for the latter option to keep them safe if they were hiding.

Alarms started ringing in the warehouse and I frowned before leaning forwards and starting the car, seeing Dean throw his jacket onto the barbed wire on top of the fence to my right and jumping over, where Sam did the same and Dean grabbed the jacket. He said something to Sam, who shook his head, before they ran over to the car and I settled back in the seat as Dean drove us away from the warehouse.

"So what happened?" I asked from the backseat and Dean glanced at me in the mirror before Sam turned in his chair to see me better. See this is why Sam was good in the passenger seat since he turned around to talk to me, Dean never used to when the four of us would share a car and John would be driving. Both boys undid their ties, Dean leaving his around his neck as Sam removed his completely, and both of them undid the top button of their white shirts. Obviously they felt more uncomfortable than they looked.

"Well we checked out the hangar but there was no EMF, or none that Dean's busted up Walkman could find" Sam began, frowning at his brother while I chuckled.

"Okay so no EMF and don't hate on the Walkman, it's a piece of junk but it works just fine" I shrugged and Sam grinned as Dean sighed and shook his head before Sam handed me a bag and I saw that he had a knife with scrapings on the blade. I held the bag up to the window and squinted at the yellow scrapings, but had no clue what it was, so I handed the bag back to Sam and nodded.

"Okay so where did you find that and what's the plan now?" I asked.

"That was on the emergency door handle, so we're heading back to the hangar to see if Jerry has a microscope or something we can use" Dean explained and I nodded, before we pulled up outside of the hangar about ten minutes after and headed straight towards the office where Jerry was already sat inside working on something. I politely knocked on the door before walking in and he stood up at our entrance.

"What happened?" he asked and the boys moved to stand either side of me.

"You got a microscope?" Dean questioned and Jerry frowned.

"Huh, this stuff is covered in sulphur" Jerry stated looking up at us and away from the microscope which he had been peering into for the last five minutes.

"You sure?" Sam asked and he nodded.

"Take a look for yourself" he replied as banging was heard outside of the door and voices were heard, obviously some sort of argument but I didn't pay much attention to what was said though it sounded like 'You piece of crap' or something along those lines.

"If you'll excuse me, I have an idiot to fire" Jerry sighed, before walking around the desk and out of the door as Dean made his way over to the microscope.

"Hey Einstein, yeah you, what the heck are you doing? Put that wrench down…" Jerry said and I rolled my eyes at how idiotic people were today before focusing on Dean who was looking into the microscope.

"There aren't many things that leave behind a sulphuric residue are there?" I frowned, questioning the boys and they shook their heads at me.

"No Ali there aren't" Dean stated, sending me a smile to say he was happy that I knew that, which of course I did, I was just a little unsure.

"Demonic possession?" Sam asked and I had to blink at his question.

"It would explain how a mortal man would have the strength to unlock an emergency hatch" Dean pointed out as I sat down in the chair behind me, needing to sit before my legs gave out. Demonic possession. Demons! The dream I had last night… my family were killed by demons. That's what that black mist of particles were that rose up from the floor. Demons! And there had been six of them, though what I didn't understand was why they kept themselves covered. Demons don't care if their victims see them, because they would always die, and if I had been taken by them like the leader had told my mom, well I would've had to see their faces at some point. Right?

"If the guy was possessed then it's possible" Sam said, the two of them continuing their conversation, completely blind to what was going through my head.

"This goes way beyond floating over a bed and barfing pea soup. Possession of a human is one thing, but using them to take down an entire plane…" Dean trailed off, seemingly confused, but what I couldn't get my head around was the fact that I'd dreamt about my family dying last night, the first night in about three years and the next day we get a call from someone we saved and the case leads to demonic possession and demons? That was way too coincidental, then again I didn't believe in coincidences, especially because I'd been unable to remember who or what had killed my family. Everything was a blur except for how they died, I couldn't even see outlines of figures and after two years of trying we'd given up. So for me to suddenly remember now? That was strange and something wasn't right…surely? God I was so confused!

"You ever heard of this happening before?" Sam asked and I heard Dean sigh.

"Never" he stated and I blinked against the slight ache that was building up between my eyes, so I massaged my temples.

"So what's the plan guys?" I asked, letting my hands drop to my lap so I could look up, just as the two of them focused on me. I swallowed and pushed everything down, deciding to deal with that later on when this was over, or when we had a lull in between jobs.

"Well, we do some research" Dean groaned and I grinned in response. Good, something I was good at, finally! I nodded and got to my feet eagerly, maybe I could research something to do with my own family at the same time. I may come across something so it couldn't hurt right?

We headed back to the Impala where Dean drove us to the motel and I hurried inside, heading over to one of the beds and pulling my laptop and notebook out and booting my computer up as I tucked strands of hair behind my ears where they had fallen out of the sides and making myself comfortable on the bed, with my laptop on my thighs and my notebook set on my right.

After about two hours, we had a lot of information to do with anything relating to demonic possession. What made demons possess humans, if there was a specific person they went for, which apparently the person had to be vulnerable with a chink in their armour. There were all sorts of lore's and legends taped to the walls and how demons had become integrated to as many religions that I researched as possible. Dean was sitting at the bottom of the bed I was on, next to my feet while reading something that he had placed on the other bed, since that bed was empty. Sam was sitting at the table with his laptop placed in front of him.

I on the other hand hadn't found much about why demons would've gone after my family. It could be for fun, or because they had been conjured or promised something where the person hadn't delivered and so were killed because of that. But I couldn't see my parents ever conjuring or controlling a demon, let alone being dumb enough to let it go where it then attacked them. No, this demon had wanted something, but it didn't seem like a sacrifice of sorts, so I had hit a dead end on that part, to which my findings had been noted down in my notebook where it would stay hidden from the boys. They had enough with trying to search for their dad and then hunting whatever we came across, I couldn't tell them about this, simply because I didn't know what good it would do and something told me that John would be the best person to ask, but he wasn't here and at the moment I wasn't sure if I should trust him with this information, but I'd been feeling annoyed and angry with him lately so it could be that emotion that was keeping me from leaving a message on his phone.

"So, every religion and culture has their beliefs on demons and demonic possession. I mean Christianity, Native America, Hindu, you name it" Sam began out of the blue meaning he must have found something.

"Yeah but none of them describe anything like this" Dean said and Sam shook his head.

"That isn't exactly true. According to Japanese beliefs, certain demons can be behind specific things, both natural and man-made disasters. One causes earthquakes another causes disease" he explained and I frowned.

"What and this one causes plane crashes?" Dean and I asked at the same time before grinning at each other and turning back to Sam who shrugged as Dean got to his feet.

"Alright, so what? We have a demon that has evolved with the times and found a way to ratchet up the body count?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, you know, who knows how many plane crashes it has caused before this one" Sam said as Dean snorted in response and I frowned at him.

"What?" I asked him, sensing that something had gone off in him and he shook his head.

"I don't know. Demons cause death and destruction, for their own sake. This isn't our normal gig you know, this is big and I wish dad was here" Dean sighed.

"Yeah, me too" Sam replied and I sighed before placing my laptop on the bed and standing up, wincing when my legs hurt.

"Shit, my butt's gone numb" I groaned and the boys laughed at me, making me laugh too.

"Sorry, I didn't realise I'd said that out loud. Now come on you pansies, we can do this. It's us against the world remember, your dad taught you well and he wouldn't have left, expecting you to sort out the first job in Jericho if he didn't believe in his boys" I stated tacking a shrug onto the end of my sentence before sighing, "-and I believe in you guys too, I mean there's no one I'd much rather have to keep my ass safe" I shrugged again and they grinned at me.

"You have a lovely way with words sis" Dean said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and I grinned at him before shrugging again.

"I try my best. Who else will keep you on your toes and believing in yourself huh?" I said and they both hummed before shrugging.

"Well you do that job pretty well Ali" Sam said and I smiled before bowing jokingly as Dean's phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered and I perched on the edge of the bed.

"Oh hey Jerry" Dean said and I looked up at him, giving his face my full attention so I could detect any change in his expression.

"Wha- Jerry I'm so sorry. What happened?" Dean asked and I sensed sadness before sighing and scrubbing my face with my hands. Jerry's friend had died; I could feel the sorrow in my heart.

"Where'd this happen?" Dean asked before snorting at Jerry's reply.

"I'll try to ignore to irony in that" he sighed before shaking his head.

"Nothing, look hang in there Jerry and we'll catch up with you soon" Dean said before snapping his phone shut, ending the conversation.

"Another crash?" Sam asked and Dean nodded.

"Yeah let's go" he sighed, shrugging into his jacket.

"Where?" I asked and Dean snorted.

"Nazareth" he replied and I let lose a tiny chuckle at the irony as I stood up ready to go.

"Are you gonna check for sulphur again?" I asked and he nodded in reply.

"Yup, but you can stay here sis" Dean said and I frowned in response before sighing and nodding and sinking back onto the bed, making Dean frown. He had obviously expected an argument but I was too tired for one.

"We won't be long, and I'll call you when we are on our way back so you can meet us back at the hangar" Dean said and I nodded.

"Okay, stay safe boys" I said and they rolled their eyes at me.

"Quit worrying woman" Dean sighed and I stuck my tongue out at him before they walked out, closing the door shut behind them and I flopped backwards onto the bed, covering my eyes with my arm and sighing.

I walked into the office, seeing the boys already there and Jerry looking into the microscope before he looked up, sending me a brief nod and focusing on the boys.

"Sulphur?" Dean asked and Jerry nodded in response.

"Well that's great. That's two plane crashes, both involving Chuck Lambert, I think the demon was after him" Dean said and I frowned, before walking over to the boys and placing a hand on Dean's shoulder, glad when I found he wasn't hurt, before placing a hand on Sam's arm and getting a weird jolt of electricity but was pleased when I found that he wasn't hurt either. Dean frowned and rolled his eyes at me before turning back to Jerry.

"With all due respect to Chuck, if that was the case then that would be the good news" Sam said and I frowned up at him questioningly.

"What's the bad news?" Dean and I asked at the same time, but I ignored the annoyed glance Dean would be sending me at the fact that I'd 'stolen his line again' instead focusing on Sam who frowned slightly.

"Chuck's plane went down exactly forty minutes into the flight, and get this so did flight 2485" Sam stated and I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

"Forty minutes? What does that mean?" Jerry asked and I turned to look at him.

"It's Biblical Numerology. Noah's Ark… it rained for forty days. The number means death" I answered his question.

"And I went back and there have been six plane crashes all in the last decade that went down forty minutes into the flight" Sam said and I sighed quietly to myself. I hadn't even thought to check if there were previous crashes, and after discovering the sulphur on the wreck that should've been something I had checked, or it would've been anyway just in case. Instead I was focused on researching demons, but now I realised it was more so for my sake, than to help the boys. Dean had Sam back now and Sam had always been brilliant with research. There was really no need for me anymore if I thought about it.

"Any survivors?" I asked and Sam shook his head.

"No none, or not at least not until flight 2485, for some reason. But remember what the cockpit voice recording said?" he replied and I frowned.

"'No survivors'" Dean quoted before I sighed and rubbed my sore and tired eyes again.

"It's going after all of the survivors" I stated, as Dean opened his mouth to do say exactly the same.

"We should get going and sort out these survivors, make sure they are safe until we can sort this thing out" Sam said and we all nodded before saying goodbye to Jerry.

"Really? Well thank you for taking our survey, and if you do fly then please don't forget your friends at United Britannia Airline. Thanks" Sam said into the phone before ending the call and scratching off another name on the list.

"Well that takes care of Blaine Sanderson and Dennis Holloway. They won't be flying anytime soon" Sam said and I smiled at the back of his head. He was handy to have.

"So our only wildcard is the flight attendant Amanda Walker" Dean stated and Sam nodded.

"Her sister said that her flight leaves Indianapolis at eight pm. It's her first night back on the job" Sam said.

"That sounds like just our luck" Dean sighed and Sam shook his head.

"Dean, this is a five-hour drive, even with you behind the wheel" I stated, knowing that Dean was the best at driving out of us, well I couldn't drive very well anyway but that wasn't the point, and Dean could go longer behind the wheel than what Sam could, though I teased him saying that was only because his legs were a little longer than Dean's.

"Call Amanda's cellphone again and see if we can head her off at the pass" Dean said and Sam sighed.

"I've already left her three voice messages. She must've turned it off" Sam said, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck.

"God, we're never gonna make it" Sam sighed.

"Oh we'll make it" Dean replied, easing onto the gas a little more and pushing the Impala forwards faster. I frowned but left him to it, if it was between Sam and Dean to drive as fast as possible without getting a ticket, then I'd bet my money on life on Dean, he loved going fast but he knew the best limit. I just hoped we would get there in time.

Dean drove quickly into the airport garage and pulled into a parking space before shutting the car off and hopping out, Sam and I following after him before Dean started to move.

"Woah, woah, woah, we're about to head into an airport dude" Sam stated, fixing Dean with a pointed look and I snorted at him. He looked confused for a moment before groaning and heading back to the car, since he'd rushed out so quickly, before emptying himself of the three guns and two knives that he kept on himself constantly whenever we were awake and working.

"Damn it, I feel naked" he groaned, looking pained at the fact that he'd had to shed all of his weapons, before we ran out of the garage and through the main airport doors, which wouldn't have happened if Dean had kept his weapons on him. It was a good thing that Sam had thought of that really, because I wouldn't have. I was a little out of it though, but I had good reason to since I'd fallen asleep both when Sam and Dean had gone to Nazareth and then while Dean was driving here and both times I'd dreamt of my family and watched them die over again. Except while I was separated from the boys while they checked out the second wreckage I dreamt afterwards that they had died. That's what happened whenever I wasn't with them, and why I had to touch them, because it reassured me that they were okay, since I literally felt that they were fine, in that it was like my body was theirs and there weren't in any pain.

We rushed over to the Departures board, checking for flight 424 which we had found out was the one Amanda would be on.

"Right there. It boards in thirty minutes" Sam said, pointing it out and Dean nodded in response.

"Okay, we still have some cards to play. Now we need to find a phone" he said, looking around before running over to the phone mounted on the wall, which I knew allowed you to contact any part of the airport and they would put you through to them, no questions asked, unless it was against any sort of protocol that they had.

"Hi, gate thirteen" Dean said into the phone as Sam and I stood either side of him.

"I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on flight…um…flight 4-2-4" Dean said and I could tell that in his haste to contact her, he'd forgotten the flight number.

"Come on" Dean said into the phone as the seconds passed, obviously becoming more agitated, though he was just making me nervous for no reason.

"Miss Walker, hi. This is Doctor James Hetfield from St Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here" Dean said into the phone and I snorted at the fact he had used the guy's name from Metallica, though I didn't like that band so I had no clue who was who, I just knew that Hetfield played in the band. I think he was the drummer? Something like that at least. He played an instrument.

"Nothing serious, she was involved in a car accident, just a minor concussion so-" but Dean was interrupted by who I'm assuming was Amanda on the other end. He paused and looked a little unsure.

"You what?" he asked before frowning and looking stuck.

"Uh, well... there must be some mistake" Dean said, trying to salvage what was happening as Sam moved closer, trying to listen in on the conversation, which made me smile, but I knew that whatever had happened, Dean could solve it.

"Guilty as charged" Dean said and I frowned, this was a really weird one sided conversation. He started nodding even though Amanda couldn't see him, but it looked like he had a twitch in his neck.

"He's really sorry, so" Dean began and I saw him think.

"Well, yes, but, he really needs to see you tonight so-" Dean tried again but was cut off.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. The poor guy's in bits. Really. It's pathetic" he tried and I had to admit that he sounded convincing. Obviously she had broken up with someone recently and thought Dean was one of his friends, so that's who Dean was pretending to be.

"No, no wait. Amanda. Amanda!" Dean said loudly into the phone before slamming it back into its holder, seemingly frustrated.

"Damn it, so close" Dean sighed as we moved to the check in area, hopefully to see if we could spot her, but there wasn't much luck so far.

"Thank you for flying with United Britannia Airlines" the voice on the overhead intercom thing said and I rolled my eyes.

"Well you seem to have a demon problem love" I said sarcastically in reply to the voice and Dean snorted a laugh before Sam sighed and turned around to face us and waved his arms in the air before letting them flop back to his side.

"Okay Plan B, we're getting on that plane" Sam said and I looked at Dean, as he looked at me, both of us wide eyed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there. Let's think this through" I said as Dean said the same thing except he said 'now hold on a second' as his second sentence.

"Guys, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board and if we're right, then that plane is gonna crash" Sam stated. Well thank you for that Captain Obvious!

"We know that Sam" I snapped and he sighed in response before shaking his head.

"Okay, so we're getting on that plane, finding the demon and performing a full on exorcism. I'll go and get the tickets, you two get whatever you can out of the trunk that we can use and that will make it passed airport security and we'll meet back here in five minutes" Sam urged and I bit my lip, looking at Dean to see that he'd gone a little pale.

"You okay?" he asked Dean, who shook his head, before looking at me and I shrugged but felt a little lightheaded.

"No, not really" Dean replied, making Sam frown in worry.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked and I gulped as Dean spoke.

"Well it's just uh… I kinda have this problem with…" but he couldn't get the sentence out so he made a flying action with his hand.

"Flying?" Sam asked, finishing off the sentence and I could tell that Dean was embarrassed by this with how he responded.

"Well, it's never really been an issue until now" he snapped in return.

"You're joking right?" Sam asked and Dean shook his head, his eyes still wide.

"Do I look like I'm joking to you?" he snapped again and Sam removed his hands from how he'd crossed them over his arms before holding them out to Dean, to try and calm him down.

"Alright, alright, then I'll go" Sam said.

"What?" Dean asked stupidly.

"I'll go, I'll do this one on my own" Sam said and I frowned at him.

"Hey" I said and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Oh please Ali, you think I can't tell that the idea of it is freaking you out too?" Sam questioned, looking annoyed that I thought so low of him, which I didn't I just hoped he hadn't noticed. I sighed and tucked the strands of hair behind my ear since they'd fallen out of place again and I sighed.

"What?" Dean asked, shaking his head and Sam sighed, throwing his arms out in frustration at being slowed down. Though I understood why he was getting a little antsy.

"I'll do this one on my own" Sam stated, adding a nod to the end to reassure Dean who looked annoyed but the idea of flying was still freaking him out.

"Dude are you nuts? You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash" Dean hissed and Sam sighed.

"Dean, we can do it together or I can do this one by myself. I'm not seeing a third option here" Sam stated firmly.

"Come on. Really?" Dean replied and I sighed in response before shaking my head and hesitantly taking a step over to him, angling my body in both Sam and Dean's direction.

"I'm coming with" I said and Dean sighed so I looked back at him and he gulped, looking at Sam and I carefully.

"It's okay brother, we'll take care of this one" I nodded encouragingly, but knew that if Sam and I were going that there was no way he would leave us alone, even though Sam and I would be there to back each other up. He sighed, obviously not pleased.

"Alright let's go" he said and I smiled at Sam before running back out through the airport, digging my heels in to push myself harder. Running was something that I was good at, at least. I used to do cross country from the age of six, plus my dad went running when he was home and I would join him while Liss helped mom in the kitchen of a Sunday. I was always the more boyish and active one, while Liss was the girlier one, though we were equally smart, I just chose to use my brain more than my sister, but she always used to depend on me.

I propped open the boot and dug through the arsenal, looking for bottled holy water and lots of it before throwing it into a duffel.

"You got your dad's journal?" I asked and Dean nodded, patting his jacket in reply before closing the boot and locking the car, where we hurried back to the airport, going through security once again, which was a pain in the ass, and meeting Sam who had bought three plane tickets, when in fact the boys could've done this without me, but I was worried that Dean would back out so I felt like I needed to say I would go with Sam if that made my Dean feel better about letting his brother go, since he technically wouldn't be alone. He held them up and we headed for Gate thirteen just as they were in the last ten minutes of boarding.

We found our seats, with me by the window and Dean in the aisle seat, Sam sandwiched between us as Dean jiggled his leg up and down and was reading the safety sign on the back of the chair in front of him. I could sense Sam's amusement at the fact that Dean was scared of something as simple as flying.

"Just try to calm down" Sam said, trying to soothe Dean.

"Just try to shut up" he retorted and I smiled in amusement as Dean jumped at the plane rattling when it began moving.

The plane rocked from side to side when it was the air and I watched as clouds zoomed passed before I looked out of the window and gripped something tightly, making Sam moan and jump in his seat. I turned to see that I'd grabbed his thigh and was sinking my nails in.

"Shit, sorry Sammy" he sighed and rolled his eyes at me before tapping my hand calmly.

"It's okay, just, try not to look out of the window?" he reasoned and I swallowed before closing my eyes and swallowing while nodding. I opened my eyes again, looking right into Sam's eyes before smiling.

"Yeah, good idea" I replied as the plane rocked again and Dean sank into his chair, making Sam smirk again.

We'd been in the air for a little while now and I was perfectly calm, managing to bury my fear of heights and how far we would fall if we couldn't stop the plane as well as the fact that the likelihood of death for all three of us was ridiculously high. Okay so maybe I hadn't pushed those thoughts away, but I had reconstructed my wall against my emotions, so that I didn't feel any of the fear. It was kept safely behind my walls, and was also the one time where I felt calm and at peace.

"Are you humming Metallica?" Sam asked and I saw that he was leaning over to Dean.

"Calms me down" Dean stated and Sam turned to look at me before we grinned slightly and he frowned at me.

"You've calmed down" he stated and I nodded before shrugging.

"I'm good at not feeling emotion when I need to keep calm" I stated bluntly and he frowned but nodded.

"Okay, whatever helps" he sighed before looking at Dean who had groaned at the turbulence again.

"Look man, I get you're nervous but you need to calm yourself down, and stay focused" Sam said and Dean nodded before swallowing and I could sense him trying to calm himself down, but it wasn't working, so I smiled encouragingly and Dean frowned at me.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"We'll get back to her" Sam stated before glancing at his watch and sighing.

"We've got thirty-two minutes to find out who this thing is possessing and perform a full on exorcism" Sam stated and Dean sorted.

"Yeah on a crowded plane, that's gonna be easy" he huffed and I frowned.

"We'll just take it one step at a time. Now who will this thing be possessing?" I asked, and Dean frowned at hearing my voice.

"It's usually gonna be someone who's vulnerable, you know who has a chink in their armour. With some sort of addiction or emotional distress" Dean stated and Sam nodded.

"Well this is Amanda's first flight after the crash. If I were her I'd be pretty messed up" Sam replied and I resisted the urge to snort at that, the three of us were already pretty messed up, even when we had no physical injuries, but I kept that thought to myself. Now was not the time. A woman walked down the aisle next to where Dean was sitting and he turned to her.

"Excuse me, are you Amanda?" he asked politely and the woman sent him a bright smile but shook her head.

"No, I'm not" she replied and I saw Dean give her a small smile.

"Oh, my mistake" he replied and the flight attendant walked back down to the front of the plane while Dean turned in his seat to look up the aisle at the back of the plane.

"Alright so that's gotta be Amanda" he said and I shifted to look over my seat at the woman manning the food cart thing behind the curtains at the back of plane, where I could see the toilets were located, "-so I'll go talk to her and uh… get a read on her mental state" he finished saying and I looked back to see him unbuckling his seatbelt.

"What if she's already possessed?" Sam asked and Dean nodded.

"There's a way to check that" he stated, before digging into the duffel bag and producing a water bottle in the shape of the Virgin Mary which contained holy water, which I knew because I'd packed it earlier. Sam shook his head and snatched the bottle away before tucking it inside his jacket.

"No we can go more subtle than that" he stated and I frowned in response.

"If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God" Sam said and I tilted my head to the side, storing that piece of information away for a rainy day. I didn't know much about demons because I hadn't really come across many of them during the job, though I know that John and Dean had but I'd never been with them on the jobs. Now I realise that I was probably a little naïve to not be curious and not know how to deal with them.

"Oh, nice" Dean stated before turning to walk away.

"Hey" Sam said, gaining Dean's attention so that he looked back.

"Try saying it in Latin" Sam suggested and Dean nodded.

"I know" he replied before turning to go.

"Oh hey" Sam said again and Dean turned once again, looking a little pissed.

"What?" he asked stiffly.

"In Latin it's 'Christo'" Sam said and Dean frowned in annoyance.

"Dude I know, I'm not an idiot" this time he left for good and I shrugged at Sam in response so I watched him go and he hit an empty chair near him when the plane shook again, making me smile fondly as Sam snorted a laugh, obviously looking as well before we faced the front again.

"You're horrid" I said and Sam frowned before grinning in response when he understood what I meant.

"I don't know what you mean" he played the innocent role and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Oh please, dumb doesn't suit you. You're horrible for picking on your brother about his fear of flying" I pointed out and Sam grinned.

"I know, it's amusing is all" I snorted at this and rolled my eyes again.

"Yeah because you're not afraid of anything?" I asked rhetorically, though I knew he was, he just wouldn't admit to it. He shrugged in response and I smiled at him.

"It's normal Sammy, surely you know that even the fearsome warriors like your brother and you are afraid of the most normal things that most people wouldn't be afraid of" I stated and he rolled his eyes but left it at that, instead he leafed through John's journal since Dean had placed it in the duffel bag that we had as carry-on luggage.

It didn't take long and Dean soon returned to his seat, huffing a little.

"Well she has got to be the most well-adjusted person on the planet" he said sarcastically and I frowned at him.

"You said 'Christo'?" I asked and he nodded.

"And?" Sam questioned though it was obvious that there was no demon in her.

"And there was no demon in her, there's no demon getting in her either" Dean stated and I sighed before letting my eyes roam around the parts of the plane that I could see without having to adjust my head too much, since it might look a little suspicious to the other passengers if I kept watching them.

"So if it's on the plane, then it can be anyone" Sam sighed as the turbulence made the plane shake.

"Come on, that can't be normal!" Dean exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, it's just a little turbulence" Sam stated gently.

"Sam this plane is gonna crash okay, so quite treating me like I'm friggin' four" Dean snapped and I frowned at him, leaning towards both Dean and Sam a little, though Sam didn't seem to mind the fact that I was half leaning on him.

"You need to calm down Dean" I said carefully and he glared at me.

"Well I'm sorry, I can't" he replied and I frowned.

"Yes, you can" Sam said and Dean groaned.

"Dude, the touchy feely, self-help yoga crap, it's not helping" he hissed and I sighed in response.

"You can do this Dean and you will. First of all, you've never let anything get to you this badly before, even when we've been in life or death situations" I said and Sam nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, and secondly if you're panicked you are wide open to demonic possession, so you need to calm yourself down right now" Sam finished my sentence, in exactly the way I was going to say it, which made me frown at him and Dean took a deep calming breath before turning to stare at the two of us.

"That was weird you two" he said and I grinned in response.

"Twilight zone weird, dude" I replied and Sam snorted a laugh before clearing his throat.

"Good, now I found an exorcism here in dad's journal that I think will work. The Rituale Romanum" he said and I nodded, that sounded vaguely familiar for a weird reason, considering that I had never dealt with demons personally before.

"Okay, what do we have to do?" Dean asked.

"It's two parts. The first expels the demon and allows it to manifest, making it more powerful" Sam said and Dean frowned.

"More powerful?" he questioned and I nodded.

"Yeah, it doesn't need to possess a body anymore, it can wreak havoc on its own" I said and both boys turned to frown at me.

"What?" I asked and they shook their heads, before returning to the matter at hand.

"Okay and why is that a good thing?" Dean asked his brother, who sighed.

"Well because the second part sends it straight back to hell. Once and for all" Sam replied and we grinned at each other.

"First we need to find it" I pointed out and the boys nodded before getting out of their seats. I went to move but Sam shook his head at me.

"You stay here, watch the passengers for any weird reactions while Dean and I scan" he instructed and I rolled my eyes but nodded and shifted to Dean's seat watching as he walked down the aisle, moving the EMF reader. I watched as he moved it from person to person, but all he received were weird looks from the passengers, no supernatural readings. Sam walked up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder, making Dean jump and probably cry out from what I was reading from Sam's amused expression.

"Anything?" Sam asked and I heard his voice as well as saw his lips form the word, and Dean shook his head, before Sam shook his. Okay so they hadn't gotten anything between them and I hadn't gotten anything either except the feel that it was definitely here, somewhere. It was obviously just hiding really well. Sam glanced at his watch as they moved a little closer to me.

"Fifteen minutes. Maybe we missed somebody?" he said to Dean who shrugged.

"Maybe the thing's just not on the plane" he replied, sounding more hopeful than sure. Sam gave him a look.

"You really believe that?" he asked and Dean shrugged.

"I will if you will" he replied, just as the EMF reader started spiking and he looked up.

"Christo" he said and I looked up to see the co-pilot walking out of the toilets. He looked back at the sound of God and we all saw that his eyes were black, before he disappeared back into the cockpit as Dean looked between Sam and me. Ah hell.

Dean turned and walked to the back of plane, where I shrugged at Sam and motioned him forwards to follow after Dean, which he did so I slid out of my seat and followed the two of them, seeing that Dean was heading towards the back where Amanda was still located. I sighed and shook my head, knowing instantly what Dean was going to do.

"She's not going to believe this" I heard Sam say and I couldn't help but to agree with him.

"Twelve minutes dude" Dean stated as he walked up to Amanda and she smiled at him.

"Oh hi, flight's not too bumpy for you I hope?" she asked as Sam and I walked through.

"Actually that's what we need to talk to you about" Dean said as I shut the curtain behind us, giving the illusion of privacy.

"Oh um…okay, what can I do for you?" she asked politely and I admired the fact that she was calm on the outside, when the appearance of the three of us had her a little apprehensive.

"This is gonna sound nuts, but we don't have time for the whole 'the truth is out there' speech now" Dean said and I sighed.

"Alright look, we know you were on flight 2485" I stated, needing the get this over with because like Dean said, twelve minutes. Amanda's pleasant, flight attendant smile disappeared.

"Who are you guys?" she asked carefully and I smiled slightly, trying to reassure her that we weren't going to hurt her.

"We spoke to some of the other survivors who were there and we know it wasn't a mechanical failure that brought that plane down" Sam stated and she frowned in response.

"We need your help to stop it from happening again. Here. Now" Dean rushed and she shook her head.

"I'm very busy… I, uh, I need to go" she said, trying to get out of the way, probably thinking we were nutcases.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not gonna hurt you okay, but look the pilot on 2485… Chuck Lambert? He's dead" Dean stated. Wow, way to go with ripping the band aid off Dean!

"Wait what? Chuck's dead?" she asked, confused. So she hadn't heard?

"He died in a plane crash. That's two crashes in two months, that doesn't strike you as strange?" Dean asked, urging her to understand and see the connection.

"I-" she began, but trailed off, obviously realising something was a little off but I looked at her and she met my eyes.

"Amanda listen to us please. There was something wrong with flight 2485. Now I know there is a possibility you may have sensed something wrong with that flight, and there's something wrong with this one too" I said, hoping she would see it and her change of expression suggested that she had sensed something wrong with flight 2485.

"On…on flight 2485, there was this man and he had these eyes" she said, referring to the black eyes and Sam nodded eagerly.

"Yes, that's what we're talking about" Sam said but she frowned.

"I don't…I don't understand, what do you want me to do?" she asked in confusion.

"Okay, the co-pilot, we need you to bring him back here" Dean ordered and she frowned.

"I don't understand, what has he got to do with this?" she questioned. Okay so she couldn't just follow orders, she was like Sam, she questioned everything.

"No time to explain, just go in there and get him to come back here" I urged, aware of the ticking clock.

"I don't understand, how am I going to go in the cockpit and get the co-pilot out?" she asked and I shrugged at the same time as Sam.

"I don't know, tell him something's broken but do whatever it takes, whatever to get him out of that cockpit" he said. She still looked torn.

"I could lose my job for this" she said and I huffed in frustration.

"You could lose a whole lot more if you don't help us" I said firmly, not in the mood to play games now as my body started to become warmer, and I knew it wasn't because of the heating. She nodded and I watched through the curtain as she disappeared down the aisle before knocking on the cockpit door, where the co-pilot appeared. They exchanged a few words before he closed the door and followed Amanda up to us.

Sam closed the curtain and pulled out the bottle of holy water that he still had stashed on him as Dean pulled out John's journal and handed it to Sam as the co-pilot walked through the curtains.

"What's the problem?" he asked and Dean punched him in the face, making him lose his balance and fall on the floor. Dean then sat on him, pinning him to the ground where he placed duct tape over his mouth to keep him silent and punched him again.

"What are you doing I thought you were going to talk to him?" Amanda exclaimed, appearing as frightened as she was in the inside. Dean nodded in response.

"Oh we are going to talk to him" he said, before unscrewing the bottle and spraying the water on the co-pilot's torso making the woman squeal in fright.

"Oh my god, what's wrong with him?" she asked. Well he's evil, that's what's wrong with him, and though I wanted to say this I doubted this was the time for sarcastic comments.

"Look we need you calm. We need you outside the curtain" Sam instructed gently but Amanda looked frightened.

"I don't underst- I don't know-" she stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"Can you go on the other side of the curtain and make sure no one comes in here?" I asked carefully and clearly, "-can you do that?" I asked and she nodded before disappearing through the curtain.

"Hurry up Sam, I don't know how much longer I can hold him" Dean urged and Sam turned to the book before starting the exorcism.

"Regna terrae, cantante deo, psallite domino-" he read out and the demon started struggling, managing to knock Dean off him and hit at Sam, who subdued him with more sprays of holy water as I stood by the curtains, just in case someone managed to get past Amanda. Dean got back and pinned the demon down again as Sam continued where he left off, but the demon was having none of it, he struggled again, pushing Dean off and ripping the tape off his mouth before grabbing Sam, who was kneeling next to him, by collar and hissing at him, which was when I moved out of my position.

"I know what happened to your girlfriend. I bet she must have died screaming. Even now she's burning" he spat in Sam's face, but I slammed my foot into his face, breaking the co-pilot's nose and making him loosen his hold on Sam, who fell against the side and glared murderously at the demon. I gave Sam a brief glance before crouching and spraying holy water on the demon again, which made him scream, subduing him as Dean made his way back over and pinned his right side, while I pinned the left, rendering him unable to move.

"Sam" I said, knocking Sam out of his thoughts and restraining the demon who was still struggling while Sam continued reading the first part of the exorcism, but the demon struggled, managing to slam his foot into the side of my ribs and making me loosen my hold.

"Sam" Dean called and I shifted to see Sam move to restrain the demon, where when he was finished reading the exorcism, the demon struggled, kicking the journal aside before coming out of the body in a swarm of black particles and disappeared through the vents in the plane.

"Where'd it go?" I asked just as the plane started buckling and shaking about.

"It's in the plane. Hurry we need to finish" Dean urged and I pushed myself up, ignoring the ache in my ribs, before the plane plummeted, sending Sam flying into the aisle after the book and Dean and I to grab onto each other and the bar on the wall, before screaming. I knew Dean was shit scared, and my fear was starting to surface at the fact that we were plummeting thousands of feet at an alarming rate. The height wouldn't bother me if I knew the plane was safe but the fact that this one was doomed to crash, well that was why I had been hesitant to board it in the first place.

The gravity of the plane falling at a quick rate, acted against me, lifting my feet slightly off the floor, and Dean continued screaming like a girl, as I lowered myself to the floor, pushing against the bar to keep myself anchored to the floor, before wrapping my legs around Dean, pressing our legs tightly against each other's to anchor us more. If we were going down, we were going down together.

A bright electrical light flew throughout the plane, before the plane levelled out and Dean and I sank against the floor in relief before smiling at each other.

"We never speak of this again" he said before we pushed ourselves to our feet and stumbled out into the aisle from behind the curtain

"Agreed" I said seeing Sam stand up and turn towards us where I smiled at him gratefully and he nodded back as people sitting down checked their neighbour to make sure they were okay.

FBI, FAA and paramedics swarmed around the room since the pilot had radioed in a 'mayday' call, being told to land after the plane had been exorcised by Sam. The three of us had already been checked out and statements taken, which we had worked out of course.

"Sir, can you tell me what happened?" an agent asked the co-pilot who was sat in a wheelchair, a blanket across him and his nose broken. Oops!

"I don't know, I was walking through the airport then it all goes blank. I don't even remember getting on the plane" he replied, before my gaze wandered and I spotted Amanda talking to another guy in a uniform who was noting down her statement. She looked our way and smiled before mouthing a 'thank you' to us which we nodded in response.

"Let's get out of here" Dean said and I sighed.

"Amen to that" I sighed, following Dean but stopping when I sensed that Sam had stopped following.

"You okay?" I asked him, making Dean turn to and he shook his head in response.

"No, Ali, that demon, it knew about Jessica" he said, and I swallowed at the sadness and grief and anger. Dean stepped forwards but I placed my hand in front of him, stopping him. I knew exactly what to say to Sam and I had a feeling that Dean would make up some crap, but I would be as honest as possible.

"This isn't going to sound pleasant Sammy, but news travels, it's what it does. Whatever it was that killed her, it must have said something until the news spread that Sam Winchester's girlfriend had been killed by whatever it was. Demons are good at what they do, and knowing what hurts us and they are bastards by using that against us. It's what they do best unfortunately, but we will find it Sammy, I promise you that" I said and he sighed before nodding, blinking away tears.

"What if we don't?" he asked and I shrugged in response but didn't want to say what was in my mind.

"We will, I know we will" I said instead and Sam swallowed before nodding, where I squeezed his arm and he pulled me into a tight embrace. We would find this thing, even if I had to use myself as bait to lure the bastard so that the boys could kill it. I would do whatever I could to ensure that Sam and John got what they needed, the revenge they felt they needed for the ones they loved, as long as it meant that they were safe afterwards.

We pulled away and I smiled sadly at Sam who smiled sadly and nodded back before we walked over to Dean who frowned at me, his face pale before he turned away.

"Come on" was all he said, as he led us back to where the Impala was parked, "-let's go back to the motel and get some rest. We'll say goodbye to Jerry when we leave tomorrow" Dean said, driving us back to the motel.

After turning the engine off and locking the Impala up, Dean led us to the room and unlocked the door, switching the lights on as he walked inside so that we could see.

"I'm hitting the hay straight away" Dean said and Sam and I nodded before he stripped down to his shirt and boxers, climbing into bed and pulling the covers over him. He was sound asleep and snorting lightly within five minutes. It must be nice falling asleep so quickly, I sighed and Sam snorted.

"I agree" he said and I frowned at him. He smiled and shook his head.

"You said that out loud" he explained and I nodded slowly.

"I'm gonna go and get ready" I said, pointing to the bathroom door and Sam nodded before lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling before I walked into the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth, washed my face and got change into my pyjamas which consisted of a camisole, with thick straps and shorts that were mid-thigh before I flicked the light off and walked back in to see Sam standing right by the door. I squealed slightly in fright and he grinned in amusement before disappearing into the bathroom after me where I walked over stood beside Dean, seeing that he had already spread himself out on the bed. What a turd! I rolled my eyes as I heard Sam walk back into the room and laugh quietly behind me.

"Come on Ali, you can sleep with me tonight" he said and I resisted the urge to make a perverted comment, knowing that it wasn't the time after what happened tonight. Instead I shook my head in reply.

"Naah I'm fine, I'll just sleep on Dean, imagine the kick he'll get out of that in the morning" I said, laughing slightly and Sam laughed too, before I turned and saw him sitting in his bed, under the covers, with enough room for me too, it was a queen after all. Besides I wanted him to get some sleep, maybe he would if he slept with someone like I suggested, and he'd managed to keep my nightmare away last night when I went back to sleep.

"Okay, just for tonight, and I'll piss Dean off even more tomorrow at being a pain in the ass" I said and Sam smiled as I slid in next to him, the sheets feeling cold and I sighed, lying down as Sam looked down at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and he smiled.

"You seem nervous?" he asked and I shrugged.

"I've only ever slept with Dean" I said and frowned at how that seemed, Sam chuckled quietly before lowering himself down next to me.

"Here was me thinking there was nothing going on between you and Dean" he joked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Well you don't know what goes on underneath the sheets" I replied and we laughed before we both gagged at the thought. The idea was gross.

"Yeah that's weird" we both said at the same time, the both of us lying on our backs and staring at the ceiling for a little while.

"Do you think you'll sleep tonight?" I asked him, turning my head to face him and he shrugged.

"I don't know, I want to but it's pointless hoping" he sighed and I sent him a small smile as he turned his head to look at me his hair falling over his face.

"What about you?" he asked me and I bit my lip before sighing and swallowing.

"Honestly?" I asked him and he frowned at me, it was then that I realised how scared I sounded, but he nodded, wanting the truth off me.

"No I don't think I will sleep well" I sighed and he frowned at me.

"How long has it been since you had the nightmare?" he asked me and I sighed.

"Nearly three years" I stated before shrugging, "-but this happens remember. I'll go without them for a while then they'll come back to the point where I'm scared to sleep then disappear just as suddenly" I said and he frowned which made me sigh. I hated him frowning, it made him look more troubled than he was, and I wanted nothing more than to be able to smooth out his eyebrows, but that would be weird…

"Is it always the same dream?" he asked and I turned on my side, before propping my head up on my elbow to look down at him easier before shrugging.

"Before? Yes it was the same night, now it's different" I sighed and he frowned curiously. I'd never spoken about my nightmares to anyone, but with Sam, he knew how it felt because of having them about Jess. It was always out of guilt and horror at seeing what we'd saw. Dean, as much as I loved him, wouldn't understand until he went through something like that, but then again he lived this life easily, and it never appeared to haunt him. I sighed, not knowing how to explain without freaking him out and he smiled in return.

"You don't need to worry about toning it down Ali, I'm gonna have nightmares anyway" he said and I couldn't help but laugh slightly at that which made him grin. I bit my lip before nodding.

"When you dream about Jessica? You see that night all over again right? From the moment you walk into the house, to the moment Dean shouts your name from the door?" I asked and he frowned, lifting himself up so that he could look directly at me, at the same level.

"How do you-?" he began and I smiled slightly before shaking my head in response.

"That's not important and it's hard to explain, but what I'm trying to say is that is the key moment for you. Mine begins when my dad kisses Liss goodnight up until I faint after hearing John on the other end of the line. I'm in my own body going through the same paces, feelings, the same words and reliving it over again, except for parts that are blacked out. But last night it changed" I said, sucking in a deep breath and falling against the pillows to look up at Sam who frowned down at me. I squeezed my eyes shut so that he wouldn't see my tears, but they still fell, instead I felt Sam grip my hand, so I held onto him, feeling his palm against mine, his fingers around mine and holding on to him, so that I wouldn't relive my nightmare, before opening my eyes.

"I saw them" I whispered, frightened to talk any louder, as if any mention of them would make them appear, even though they had gone. Sam frowned at me and nodded encouragingly.

"Sam you can't say anything yet. Not to Dean and you can't phone your dad up and leave him messages. This is my fight and I don't think it is connected to your mom or Jess" I said and he nodded, smiling at me.

"I promise Ali" he said and I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.

"There were six demons there that night" I stated and Sam frowned, his grip on my hand tightening.

"Holy shit, are you sure?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, but they were wearing hooded robes so I don't see their faces but yeah, I saw the black demon particle thing come up through the floorboards and watched as they killed my family" I breathed and Sam took a deep breath before swallowing, his jaw clenching and I closed my eyes, feeling better at telling someone.

"We'll find them Ali" he said and I looked at him, seeing him look at me. I nodded in response.

"I know. Well it was just one. The leader, he did the killing and I'm positive he was a demon, but I'm not sure about the other five. They just felt evil, nothing like him. Humans can be possessed, but can they just be controlled without the possession?" I asked him and he shrugged before nodding.

"I think there are a few cases of it happening" he said and I nodded.

"Well in that case they are dead, I killed them, and my mom exorcised the demon before she died but didn't kill it, I think it disappeared through an open window" I explained and Sam sighed, before lying down next to me.

"Well we'll get that one then. Remember, it's us against the world. We look out for each other and protect each other" he said and I sighed.

"Yeah until you get what you came after and go back to school" I sighed, sending Sam into silence.

"Night Sammy" I said and heard him sigh, so I looked at him to see he looked upset.

"Night Als" he replied and I smiled at my old nickname that he used to call me by when I was really young. I smiled and frowned, before lifting my hand and stroking his hair.

"I'll be here Sam. If you have a nightmare, wake me up" I said and he smiled before nodding.

"Same goes for you" was all he said, though we both knew that wouldn't happen.

"I got you" I whispered, wrapping my arms around a shaking and sweating Sam. He gripped me tightly.

"Slow your breathing and count your heartbeats" I whispered, not wanting to wake Dean and heard Sam do just that.

"There you go" I whispered and shifted so that I could hold him and stroke his hair soothingly, the way he did with me the night before, or the way that Dean used to do to me when I was younger.

"Thanks Als, I'm sorry I woke you up" he said and I kissed his hair before pulling back.

"It's okay Sammy, don't worry. Try and go back to sleep" I replied, continuing to stroke his hair soothingly, before his breathing became deeper and slower. I finally let myself panic at that moment. What the hell could that mean?

When I was younger, Alissa and I would have nightmares at the same time, with Alissa seeing what was happening and me feeling and hearing what was happening. You would think that seeing the image was worse, but in most cases, hearing the pain and screaming and feeling the pain and fear as well as everything else the person went through, well my sister and I agreed that was worse. Which it was, though now I wasn't so sure.

Sam had just had his nightly scare with the same nightmare about Jessica, I knew this because I knew how her death had gone down since Sam had said it was exactly the same as Mary's, with both women pinned to the ceiling, though John had been asleep downstairs the night Mary died so he was unsure on some things. But the reason I knew about Sam's dream exactly was that he talked in his sleep, plus I had watched his dream the once, we dreamt at the same time but while he experienced, I witnessed through the window of the bedroom, so I was basically floating. This time though, we had shared his dream again, this time I was in the room, watching, feeling, listening, experiencing, so when he woke up, I did too, the mental link being broken. What that meant I didn't know, and I was scared because I only over had that connection with my sister. My twin. My blood relation. Sam wasn't related to me, nor did I think of him as my brother, so what did that mean? Whatever it meant, I wanted to find out.

"Go away" I groaned as the quilt was tugged again.

"Fuck off" I mumbled, pressing my face into the hot water bottle next to me as Dean chucked and I heard the camera go off on his phone.

"You're a tit, a turd, and a dick. Now piss off and let me sleep" I grumbled, making my hot water bottle laugh, which sent vibrations through my face.

"What's vibrating against my face?" I asked quietly, making Dean snort with laughter.

"Your vibrator?" he asked and I felt my face heat up as I remembered, before grabbing my pillow and launching it at Dean with such speed and quickness that he stumbled a step back from surprise, plus the pillows were heavy and I threw them with a lot of strength behind the throw.

"Since when were you fast?" Dean asked, sounding surprised and I snickered.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I replied and he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"What time is it?" I asked and he smiled.

"Six in the morning" he said and I groaned in response.

"You're a boob too. Really dude, this early? Get a life" I groaned, pulling the covers back over my head and snuggling back up to Sam since he was really warm. This made him chuckle.

"Am I a hot water bottle now?" he asked, the vibrations running through my own body and making me shiver.

"Yes now shush so I can sleep" I stated, feeling my eyes drift closed.

I hadn't been able to fall straight back to sleep like Sam had, so I watched over him instead, worried that I would fall asleep again and share his nightmare, but apart from a few twitches and cute moans, he seemed fine and it worried me, maybe what kept him from sleeping was the fact that I shared his dream too? But he'd never mentioned it, so maybe he had never felt me invade his dreams or head? I was keeping my fingers crossed anyway. But I'd been unable to fall asleep until the first hints of sunrise crept through the window, probably about ninety minutes ago. Sleep started to grab at me again.

"Dude no, can't you see she's exhausted" Sam whispered, annoyed and Dean snorted.

"Yeah, so are you, but you cope. She can sleep on the drive" Dean replied aloud before grabbing my ankle and pulling me off the bed, where I landed painfully on my butt and glared at Dean.

"Asshat! And you call yourself my brother. Ugh fine I'm up, I'm going for a shower so get me about ten coffees" I sighed and Dean frowned down at me before pulling me up, where he held my face and stared at me.

"Take a picture, now get lost so I can shower" I sighed and he shook his head at me.

"Did you sleep last night, because you look like a friggin' zombie?" he said and I rolled my eyes.

"That's why you don't get laid as often as you would like, you don't say that to a woman" I sighed and Dean rolled his eyes, but didn't let go so he wanted an answer. I slapped his hands away.

"I had a few hours" I sighed, turning to go and finding Sam standing there looking at me in worry and accusingly. I sighed and smiled at him.

"I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep" I shrugged and saw the guilt on his face, but I smiled brightly and shrugged, squeezing his forearm as I walked passed and hopped into the shower.

When I got out of the shower, Dean had about five coffees ready for me, where we piled into the Impala and I downed as many as possible.

"So why didn't you sleep?" Dean asked and I shrugged I reply, swallowing the gulp of coffee I had just taken.

"I don't know, I just woke up halfway through the night. Thinking too much that it kept me up I guess" I sighed, as Sam met my eyes in the rear-view and offered me a kind smile, which I replied to with one of my own. He now knew because of the fact that I told him about my dream.

We soon pulled up outside of the hangar, where Jerry met us outside and we all got out, before walking over to him.

"We just stopped by to let you know we were going" Dean said, nodding at the man and he smiled back before shaking both Sam and Dean's hand.

"Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do, you saved a lot of lives" he said, before giving me a brief hug.

"I can't thank you enough for coming down here" he said and I shrugged.

"It's what we do" I said and he smiled before nodding and turning back to the guys.

"Your dad will be real proud" he said and I nodded behind him which made Sam and Dean smile slightly.

"We'll see you around Jerry" Sam said, nodding at the man before the three of them turned to go but Dean turned back at the last second, to face the man.

"You know Jerry" he began and Jerry paused before turning back around.

"How did you get my cellphone number? I've only had it like six months" he said.

"Your dad gave it to me" he said.

"What?" Sam and I asked at the same time.

"When did you speak to him?" Dean asked and Jerry frowned before shaking his head.

"I mean, I didn't actually speak to him. I gave him a call and his voice message said to call you. Thanks again guys" he explained, before waving and walking away. Sam and Dean turned around and we all frowned at each other in confusion, before we climbed into the car and Dean drove away from the hangar before stopping the car when we were a reasonable distance away.

A plane flew overhead and I could just make out the red maple leaf on its tail.

"This doesn't make sense man. I mean I've called dad's number hundreds of times before. It's been out of service" Sam said as the two men settled themselves on the hood and I stood next to Dean, drinking the coffee out of the last remaining cup, but it had gone lukewarm now and tasted shit, so I threw the rest away but Dean dialled their dad's number and I moved so that I was standing in the gap between them, my legs pressed against their thighs, before Dean turned the phone so that all of us could hear it.

"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son Dean. 785-555-0179 he can help" came John's recorded voice message before Dean cancelled the call.

That meant John was still alive, I called his number to check nearly two weeks ago and it had been out of service then, though I didn't tell the boys that since I think they had stopped calling him a little before that. Sam's jaw clenched and he bounced his knee, I could feel that he was silently fuming before he got up, opened the passenger seat door, climbed in and slammed the door behind him. Dean and I both winced and I was surprised that he hadn't broken the door; hell that he hadn't broken the whole goddamn car. I looked at Dean and he shook his head at me before we made our way to the car and climbed in, Dean starting the engine, where we drove off to another town in another country.

If he was alive, then he'd obviously gotten the messages off Sam and Dean, had gotten the messages off me since you had to check your voice messages and go through all that to record a new one. After all the begging we had done between the three of us, begging him to contact us and let us know he was okay. Begging him to find us, he couldn't pick up the goddamn phone and call his boys! What kind of a fucking father was he if he let his boys suffer like that?! Jesus, he might be after revenge, but why the fuck was he pushing his boys out, after how loyal they had been, until Sam started arguing and went to college four years ago. He always told me that I was in charge of looking after his boys if anything ever happened, not that he would ever need to ask me because I didn't that even when he was here, but this was fucking stupid. He still had his sons, he still had part of his family, he should focus on the ones that were alive, he should become a father again, instead of a ghost, instead of the memory of a father. His sons should be who he cared about, not chasing Casper across the goddamn country. He has no idea how lucky he is to still have blood relatives around him, to still be able to look at his boys and say 'they are my family' and how dare he take them for granted. How dare he scare and worry them like this, when I know Dean at least always looked up to him! He had two amazing boys in his life who he didn't know because he never got the chance to know them properly because he was always running off to another job. He had Sam who ran away because he couldn't cope with taking orders from his father, the man who was supposed to bring him up, look after him, hold him when he cried. I mean, Dean was more of a father to him, and there is a four year age gap between them. Dean had to become a man at the age of a child to look after the two of them, and he's suffered crap from both his brother and father because this was the life that had been handed to them, instead of the live they both deserved.

"Ali calm down" Dean said and I looked up, realising that we had stopped the car, that Dean was looking at me in worry and Sam was frowning at me. I took a deep breath, but the rage built up, it grew and grew until my lip curled in distaste and I climbed out of the Impala. I wasn't violent except when we were working a job, because you needed that sort of temperament, but I wanted to hit something right now. His attitude towards Sam and Dean was out of line, whether he had found the thing or not, and I didn't mean the last two months, I meant the last fucking twenty-two years.

"Ali!" Dean called and I waved my hand, telling him to wait there and as I did so a thick tree branch broke from the trunk, but it never hit me because I walked right under it as it fell, choosing instead to walk over to the nearest tree and climb it, I couldn't punch anything without breaking my hand or severely bruising my knuckles so climbing was just as good. I climbed about three quarters of the way, since the top became too high and too dangerous to climb, and I stayed there for ten minutes calming my anger.

"I need to get control of myself" I said quietly before taking a deep breath, feeling the anger calm, before I erected a wall and pushed it aside and after another calming breath I climbed back down, back to Sam and Dean who were waiting for me by the car, looking worried as well as Sam looking pissed off. He knew how I feel so I walked over to him and he sighed before we hugged and I pulled Dean in to.

"No matter what, I still love you two" I said and they both hugged me tighter.

"We'll always love you too Ali" they said at the same time.

"Not sure whether that's cute or freaky" I frowned and Dean pulled away.

"Well I'm not cute, I'm freaking hot" Dean winked and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure" I said as we climbed into the car.

"Now I'm hungry since you dragged me out of bed, literally, without feeding me" I sighed and Dean snorted.

"Yes miss" he joked and I stuck my tongue out at him making him laugh as I leant forwards and placed my hand on Sam's shoulder, feeling him keeping a tight rein on his anger. He gripped my hand tightly before releasing and Dean drove, hoping to find a diner or something nearby so we could eat.

Note: So if you have read all of this so far then thank you so much! As usual I apologise for the length of every chapter, but the episodes are long too and lots happen in each episode that needs to be put in here, as well as finding out about Ali, though this chapter reveals a lot about her past. Things will develop through the first 'season' hopefully and I'm looking forward to writing it and hoping that if anyone is reading that you look forward to it to. I'm sorry if there were any mistakes in this, but I didn't have time to edit properly, so let me know if there are any mistakes. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

-Laura :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- Bloody Mary**

Sam was sleeping in the front seat while Dean and I drove in silence. We had found on obituary in the newspaper this morning that seemed like it was our kind of gig, so we had started out straight away, but Sam had fallen asleep since he hadn't slept again last night, I knew that because I'd woken up from my nightmares at least twice and he'd been lying down next to me, awake both times. But we hadn't said much to each other, just lay back down and he stroked my hair to send me to sleep again. I knew Dean was getting suspicious since I'd stopped sleeping next to him and was sleeping with his brother instead, but I didn't want to keep waking him up which I knew would be what happened, and Dean needed his sleep since both Sam and I weren't sleeping. But we managed, by doping ourselves up on coffee.

Sam started twitching and moaning in his sleep, something which he always did whenever he dreamt about Jess, while Dean pulled up in front of a large building.

"No" he whispered and I swallowed before both Dean and I reached over and tapped him, which he didn't seem to feel so I shook him instead.

"Sammy" I said into his ear but he still moaned and slept on.

"Sam, wake up" Dean said, leaning over to shake Sam roughly and he started in his seat. I watched him in the rear-view and saw that he looked sleepy and extremely confused before rubbing his eyes.

"I guess I had a nightmare?" he asked and I nodded when he looked up at me in the mirror as Dean sighed.

"Yeah another one" he stated and I frowned at Dean's blunt tone. Just because he never had nightmares about anything, didn't mean that it wasn't serious.

"Well at least I got some sleep?" Sam asked in a slightly joking way and I smiled at the back of his head as Dean sighed and shook his head.

"You know, we'll have to talk about this sooner or later" Dean said but Sam ignored him, instead looking out of the window. I understood Sam's hesitance, and he sort of had spoken to me about it, but I already knew about what he was dreaming about, and he'd sort of told me in few words that what I said he was dreaming was correct when I confronted him the other night. But Sam or I hadn't told Dean what was happening and that I was having nightmares again and Sam hadn't talked about his own. I knew that Sam keeping Dean out of the loop wasn't going down well with him, but he had always been protective of Sam and that wouldn't change, even when they were in their fifties.

"So are we here?" Sam asked and Dean frowned at the conversation change before nodding.

"Yup, welcome to Toledo, Ohio" was his reply as Sam picked up the newspaper from this morning that had been left on the dash and glanced at the obituary. I looked over his shoulder at the little paragraph for Stephen Shoemaker at how the family was sad to announce the passing of a beloved husband and father.

"So how do you think this guy really died?" Sam asked. We'd read what little information had been given in the newspaper, but just like most jobs, we had no idea of what had happened exactly, not yet anyway.

"That's what we're here to find out" Dean stated, looking through the windscreen at the building before gesturing for Sam and I to follow.

"Let's go" he said before climbing out of the car and slamming the door shut behind him, Sam and I following after him soon after, where we walked up the steps and into the building.

"The morgue right?" I asked and Dean nodded so I stopped and looked at him, making him turn to look at me.

"What?" he asked and I smirked.

"Morgue's that way" I said, pointing down a different corridor, where there was a sign saying 'Morgue' with an arrow pointing in that direction. He glared at me and walked passed, but didn't say anything. Sam and I grinned at each other before following after Dean, where he walked down to a door marked 'Room 144- Morgue' in the glass of the door. Dean pushed it open and we walked in, to see that the room contained two desks. One to the right and one directly in front.

The desk on the right as we walked in was empty was there was a name plate on the front stating that 'Dr. D. Feiklowicz' was the person who this desk belonged to. The other desk stated 'Morgue Technician' with a guy seated beside it.

"Hey" the guy said and Dean nodded back.

"Hey" he replied.

"Can I help you?" the three of us walked over to the guy, who remained seated behind his desk.

"Yeah, we're the uh…med students" Dean said and the guy behind the desk frowned.

"Sorry?" he questioned and Dean frowned confusingly.

"Yeah. Doctor-" he began before turning in the direction of the empty desk.

"-Figlavtich didn't tell you?" he asked and I bit back the smile at how he'd probably pronounced the name incorrectly, but it was a difficult name to pronounce.

"We talked to him on the phone. He uh…we're from Ohio state, and he's supposed to show us the Shoemaker corpse for our paper" Dean said and I smiled at how quickly he had thought up that lie, but I knew him well enough to know that little stumble was him stalling to think up a good excuse, and it was a good excuse.

"Well I'm sorry, he's at lunch" the technician said and I frowned.

"Oh well he said uh-" Dean stumbled again, his brain whirring. See this was why I left this crap to him, he could think up good lies really quickly, which I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"-oh well, you know it doesn't matter. You don't mind showing us the body do you?" Dean asked and the technician tilted his head briefly.

"Sorry, I can't" he said before shrugging, "-Doc will be back in an hour, you can ask him then" the man stated and we all shared a look before a made a face and sucked in a breath through my teeth.

"An hour? Ooh, we need to be heading back to Columbus by then" Dean said, before looking at Sam who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah" Sam and I said at the same time.

"Uh, look man, this paper's like half our grade, so if you don't mind helping us out" Dean said and the technician rolled his eyes.

"Uh, look man, no" he parroted and Dean forced out a little laugh, before turning around.

"I'm gonna hit him in his face, I swear" he mumbled under his breath so that Sam and I could hear and I felt a smile slip onto my face so I looked down at the floor to hide my smile as Sam hit Dean on the arm before stepping forwards, where I saw him remove his wallet from the pocket in his jacket and remove some notes, before laying them on the table in front of the technician. Oh come on Sam, bribery? Really? That won't-

"Follow me" the technician said, interrupting my mental ramblings, before he stood up and walked in front. Okay so maybe that did work! Dean grabbed Sam when he went to walk off, making Sam come to a stop.

"Dude I earned that money" Dean whispered in annoyance and Sam frowned.

"You won it in a poker game" Sam replied bluntly.

"Yeah" though Dean's reply showed that he still thought winning money at poker was a way to earn money, obviously Sam didn't think so because he walked off and followed the morgue technician, so Dean turned to look at me in annoyance. I shrugged in response.

"Don't bitch at me, there will be plenty more poker games" I said, tapping his shoulder comfortingly before hurrying after Sam and the technician. Why was a technician needed anyway? All they did was keep the bodies cool, though I suppose the doctor couldn't do everything on his own.

I walked a little further down the corridor before finding the morgue and seeing that Sam and the technician were already inside, with the sheet covered body lying on the pull out table thing.

"Now the newspaper said his daughter found him. She said that his eyes were bleeding" Sam stated and the technician removed the blanket as Dean and I walked closer.

"More than that. His eyes were practically liquefied" he stated and I looked at the body, before pulling a face at the grossness.

"Any sign of struggle? Maybe someone did it to him?" Dean asked from where he was standing on the opposite side of the body to me.

"Nope, besides the daughter, he was all alone" the tech replied.

"What's the official cause of death?" I asked and the man frowned.

"Ah, Doc's not sure. He's thinking a massive stroke, maybe an aneurysm. Something burst up there, that's for sure" was his reply and I frowned.

"What make you say that?" I asked.

"Intense cerebral bleeding. This guy had more blood in his skull than I've ever seen" the man replied and Sam frowned.

"The eyes and mash. What would cause something like that?" Sam asked.

"Capillaries can burst. You see a lot of bloodshot eyes with stroke victims.

"Yeah, you ever see exploding eyes?" Dean asked and the tech shrugged.

"It's a first for me, but hey, I'm not the doctor" was his reply.

"Hey, think we can take a look at the police report? You know, for our uh…paper?" Dean asked and the tech frowned in response.

"I'm not really supposed to show you that" he stated and Sam sighed in annoyance, before pulling out his wallet and extracting a few more notes again and handing them to the tech, who nodded and walked off to get the police report, with us trailing behind him where he handed us the folder and we flicked through, though Sam and Dean let me read more, because I retained information better than them, before we said our thanks and walked down the stairs of the hospital.

"It could be some sort of freak medical thing?" Sam suggested and Dean and I looked at him from where we were walking on either side of him.

"In all of dad's long and varied thing, when has it ever been a freak medical thing and not a sign of some awful supernatural death?" Dean pointed out and Sam frowned.

"Uh, never" he replied and Dean nodded in response.

"Exactly" I stated and Sam sighed in response.

"Alright, let's go talk to the daughter" he replied and we headed out of the hospital and back to the Impala where Dean started driving to the Shoemaker house, since he already knew the address after having read the reports.

We walked through the front door, which was left open slightly since it was a wake for the dead man and I saw a picture of him in a frame, placed on the desk in the entryway.

"Feels like we're underdressed" Dean said and I glanced around the see that all of the attendees were in black suits, or formal black outfits suitable for the occasion. I glanced down at myself and the boys to see that we were in jeans, boots, sneakers and jackets. I shrugged in response to Dean's statement. On the bright side I was wearing my black skinny jeans, like usual, with my mom's black leather jacket, so at least I was dressed in black which was slightly better. But we continued walking through the house in search of the daughter, Donna, who had found her father, so it said on the police report.

"Excuse me sir" I said, to a guy who was standing in the doorway leading to the back garden. He turned around and frowned at me, probably because of my outfit choice before smiling.

"Yes?" he asked politely.

"I'm looking for Donna, do you know where she is by any chance?" I asked and his smile dropped a little, before he pointed out to the backyard where four females were sat down on a bench. I smiled and nodded at the man.

"Thanks for your help" I said, before motioning the boys to follow me with my head, and the three of us walked over to the women.

"You must be Donna, right?" Dean asked and the girl with short dark hair who looked upset, looked up at nodded at us.

"Yeah" she replied.

"Hi, we're really sorry about your dad" I replied and she looked at me, sending me a small grateful smile.

"Thanks" was all she said and I turned to the boys.

"I'm Sam, this is Dean. We worked with your dad" Sam said and Donna looked at the woman sitting on her left, she had long honey, caramel type coloured hair. She was pretty but looked stern, though I could feel that she was protective of her friend.

"You did?" Donna asked, sounding surprised and the boys nodded.

"Yeah we did. This whole thing, I mean a stroke" Dean said, seemingly surprised, but he was a good actor after all.

"I don't think she wants to talk about this right now" Donna's friend said and I felt her protective instincts rear up, she felt the need to keep her friend safe from any hurt. It seemed Donna was close to her dad perhaps?

"I'm okay, I'm okay" Donna said, reassuring her friend who turned to frown at her before nodding.

"Were there any symptoms? Dizziness, migraines?" Dean asked and Donna sighed.

"No" she stated, as a younger girl, with the same dark hair turned around from where she had been sitting with her back to us.

"That's because it wasn't a stroke" she said and Donna frowned at her, at the girl who I could sense from Donna's feelings towards, was her younger sister.

"Don't say that" Donna replied and Sam frowned.

"What?" he asked softly and she turned to face us again before sighing.

"I'm sorry, she's just really upset" Donna replied and while that was true, I could sense that the girl was feeling guilty as well as grief. Why would she be feeling guilty? She didn't kill her father, did she?

"It happened because of me" the girl said, and I realised that since she was her sister, that this must be Lily Shoemaker, the younger daughter who, it said on the police report, had been having a sleepover when it happened.

"Sweetie, no it didn't" Donna replied and I crouched in front of the girl.

"Lily, why would you think that?" I urged, being as calm and gentle as I could with the girl, who I could feel was feeling a lot of emotion at the moment and it was getting to be a bit much for her.

"Right before he died, I said it" she said and I frowned at her.

"Said what?" I asked, still keeping my voice even, calm and kind. Her guilt became a little more stronger, with every second that passed as she spoke to me.

"Bloody Mary, three times in the bathroom mirror" she stated and I paused, letting that information sink in for me and the boys, while Donna looked at her sister in worry. She obviously thought that the grief was getting to Lily quite badly and was worried about her mental health at the moment.

"She took his eyes, that's what she does" she said, wanting me to believe her because no one else would. And I actually believed her, I felt her fear and guilt at what had happened and the fact that she believed it and she hadn't imagined it. Her friends had dared her to do it and she did, thinking nothing would happen. It was a fair way to think I suppose, but people never took the legends as they were, most legends are based on true stories, which sure, they get twisted over time but there is always a hint of truth in the story.

"That's not why dad died. This isn't your fault" Donna encouraged, worried about her sister becoming upset again and I sensed that Lily had perhaps cried and her sister had to console her when she said this the first time. But guilt was a horrible thing that ate away at you.

"I think your sister is right Lily. There's no way it could've been Bloody Mary, I mean your dad didn't say it did he?" Dean said and I rolled my eyes as I straightened up out of my crouch but the girl shook her head.

"No, I don't think so" she replied and I smiled down at her which made her sigh and turn around.

Dean had a point though, it was only ever the person who said Bloody Mary that was killed, by having their eyes scratched out, while standing in front of a mirror. But children all over the country, and all over the world really, played this ridiculous game and nothing had happened to them. So why here? Why had Shoemaker died, when it was his daughter who had said it and not him? Unless the legend began here? It was a fair guess but still made no sense, then again we probably didn't have much information on the fact yet.

"We'll be right back" Dean said and I nodded at them, telling them I would stay here and find out if there was anything stranger going on.

"Where are they going?" Donna's friend asked and I shrugged in response.

"Not sure, back in the house, though knowing Dean it's probably for food of some sort. He likes his food" I replied, though I knew they would go upstairs to check out the bathroom where Shoemaker had been found on the floor by his daughter.

"So can I ask a really silly question? How are you holding up?" I asked Donna and she sighed in response before getting to her feet and motioning for me to follow her so I did and she led me back inside the house where she said a few 'hello's' to people she knew and 'thank you's' when they expressed their sorrow.

"It's hard you know?" she said, before sighing and I nodded, knowing how hard it was.

"Can I ask where your mom is?" I asked and she sighed, looking upset before nodding.

"Yeah she died" she stated and I could hear the slight sorrow in her voice but she masked it well. I sighed and we stopped by a family picture of her, her sister and their parents.

"Losing both my parents and having to be completely responsible for Lily. It's hard and I'm a little unsure about how to handle everything. But I try to be strong for Lily you know, though Charlie has helped a lot. She's been my rock when I needed her" Donna said and I frowned.

"Charlie was sitting on your right?" I asked and Donna smiled before nodding sadly and I sighed as I looked at the family picture on the wall.

"You all look happy here?" I said, but sounded more like a question. She smiled sadly at the photo.

"Yeah, our parents loved Lily and me. I just hope that everything will be okay for Lilly's sake" she said, frowning in thought at the photo.

"I know how you feel Donna-" I began and she looked at me, frowning at me in curiosity so I shrugged in response.

"I was nearly eight years old when I lost everyone. My parents, my sister" I explained and she swallowed before nodding, understanding how it felt to lose your parents.

"I wish I could say it gets easier. It just depends on how you cope with it. But having people who you love and who love you around helps. A lot" I said and she smiled at me in response.

"You seem like a strong woman Donna, and though you may be young, you will get through it" I stated, feeling in my gut that I was right about that. She seemed like a strong, independent woman and I felt that she would perhaps cope better than me, but then again she still had her sister I suppose. She nodded in response.

"Thank you…" she trailed off and I smiled sheepishly.

"I'm Ali, sorry, the boys don't really have any manners. I'm a friend of theirs and came along to pay my respects, but I'd never met your dad" I said and she nodded in reply.

"Well thank you for that. I appreciate it" she said and I nodded before seeing the boys walk down the stairs, followed by Charlie, the two of them looking annoyed and her slightly unsure, but I could tell by her facial expression and body language that she didn't trust them.

"I may see you around Donna, but I have to get going now" I said and she smiled, nodding at me before squeezing my arm and we parted ways, where I approached the boys and Charlie looked at me suspiciously before walking over to Donna who watched us go, the two of them exchanging words. Charlie was probably asking her friend what I had asked her, but my questions were more normal than those asked by Sam and Dean. We nodded at each other and walked out of the house before hopping in the Impala.

"What did you find? Anything?" I questioned and the boys shook their heads.

"Apart from finding out that Charlie is incredibly suspicious? Nope, nothing. You?" Dean replied and I sighed, before shaking my head at them.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. I mean, Donna has normal worries about her sister and how she will react as well as her own fears. I think she was in shock though, because she didn't seem too upset" I knew that I was correct on that though, since I recognised the signs of shock before I shrugged.

"I saw a family photo and they seemed like a normal family, mom's dead though" I stated and the boys nodded from the front seat, so I sighed.

"What next?" I asked and Sam smiled at me through the rear-view mirror.

"Next is your favourite part" he replied and I grinned in reply. I liked research, though I didn't know why.

We pulled up outside of the library and hopped out of the car before walking into the building, which seemed really dark, considering that it was the middle of the day outside.

"Alright, so say Bloody Mary is haunting this town, then there's gotta be proof, like some woman who died nasty" Dean said and Sam shrugged in response.

"Maybe, but the legend is difficult since there's like 50 versions of who she actually is with it being so widespread. Some say she's a witch, others a mutilated bride" Sam began as we turned a corner and walked into the library part, with all of the books.

"Alright, so what are we supposed to be looking for?" Dean asked and I frowned at his question.

"Well there's one thing that every legend agrees on. It's always a woman called Mary and she always dies in front of a mirror. So I think we need to check public records, newspapers and see if there is a Mary who fits the bill" I answered and Sam nodded in response to my statement, obviously thinking how I was.

"Well that sounds annoying" Dean stated and Sam and I smiled at each other before shrugging.

"Not really, it won't be that bad as long as we-" Sam trailed off as we walked into the computer area of the library and saw that the computers were all out of order. I sighed as Sam chuckled a little.

"I take it back, this will be very annoying" he said and Dean groaned in response, so we made our way back to front of the building and hopped in the Impala.

"Okay, so laptops it is" I stated and Sam smiled at me over his shoulder and Dean put the car into forwards and pulled out of the parking space.

It would've been easier to use the library computers since we could've had better access to the records, whereas on our own computers it would take a little longer to find, but I liked a challenge.

Sam was sleeping on the bed next to me, while Dean sat at the table and I was sitting on Dean's bed, the two of us researching on our laptops as Sam slept, but he wasn't sleeping easily, just like usual. He was dreaming, which I could tell from how he kept frowning and twitching and moaning slightly. Dean kept glancing over at him from his place at the table before looking at me and turning back to what he was doing. He was really worried, but he wouldn't let Sam see the extent of his worry.

Sam started awake, but remained lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling, breathing heavily.

"Why did you let me fall asleep?" he asked, but I didn't look away from my computer screen.

"Because I'm an awesome brother" was Dean's reply and I smiled at his knee jerk response to most things. I hadn't realised Sam had fallen asleep until I looked over at him about an hour ago and saw him sleeping, but I wasn't going to wake him up.

"So what did you dream about?" Dean asked and Sam sighed, but I wasn't sure whether it was a sigh of tiredness, frustration or sadness.

"Lollipops and candy canes" Sam replied and Dean sighed.

"Yeah right"

"Did you find anything?" he asked and I snorted in response.

"Not much, except a whole different level of frustration" I stated and Sam frowned, sitting up as Dean cleared his throat.

"We searched everything we could find. A few local woman, a Laura and a Catherine committing suicide in front of a mirror, and a giant mirror fell on a guy called Dave, but no Mary" Dean said as Sam fell back against his pillows.

"Maybe we haven't found anything yet" he suggested and we all sighed.

"Well I've been checking strange deaths in the area as well… you know eyeball bleeding anything along those lines. And it's clean, nothing strange at all. So maybe it just isn't Mary" I said, shrugging at the end and the boys looked at me before looking away, just as Sam's phone started ringing.

"Hello?" he answered, before getting to his feet, a look of concern flashing across his face. While I couldn't hear who was on the other end, not even the faint murmur of someone's voice, I had a bad feeling about the phone call. Something wasn't right, but I wasn't aware of Sam giving his number out to anyone recently? Or at least not while I've been with him.

"Okay, we'll meet you there" Sam sighed, before closing his phone and nodding at the two of us, where I grabbed my jacket off the end of the bed and shrugged into it, Dean doing the same with his jacket.

"Who was it?" I asked as we hurried out of the motel room and rushed over to the Impala, the three of us climbing in quickly while Dean started up the car.

"Charlie, she wants to meet us in the park" Sam stated and Dean nodded before driving in that direction.

"They found her on the bathroom floor. And her eyes…her eyes they were gone" Charlie said as she sobbed and shivered inside of her jacket. Dean was sitting on the back of the bench, with his feet resting on the bench seat next to Charlie as Sam stood beside the bench and I was crouching next to her side.

"I'm so sorry" I said and she looked down at me, the tears falling from her eyes and she sniffled, taking in a deep breath which made her hiccup.

"And she said it" she began, looking away from me and up at Sam and Dean, "-I heard her say it. But can't be because of that right? I'm mean, I must be insane" Charlie asked, sounding torn between what she heard and what her mind was telling her was nonsense. Dean sighed and shook his head.

"You're not insane" he stated and she snorted a humourless laugh.

"That makes me feel so much worse" she sighed.

"Look, we think we know what's happening here. Something that can't be explained" Sam stated and Dean and I nodded with him.

"And we're gonna stop it, but we could use your help" Dean said and Charlie looked at him, frowning in confusion.

"What can I do to help?" she asked, frowning and the three of us looked at each other.

"Well, you may not like it Charlie, but we need to get into Jill's room and look around" I said and she focused her attention on me, frowning as she did so.

"Why do you need to get into her room?" she asked, sounding a little unsure, though whatever the boys had said to her when she had followed them in the Shoemaker's house obviously hadn't helped with her trust situation. I sighed in reply.

"Because we think that there may be evidence that could point us in the right direction to take down whatever this thing is. In fact, I know that something will be left behind, but we specialise in the weird and disgusting so we can find things, because we're looking for it and we have the equipment needed, but we can't walk into Jill's house without making her parents suspicious and you can get us in Charlie. So please, we need your help. And with how I'm positioned this can constitute as begging so don't make me go on my knees" I said, earning a smile and little laugh from her before she nodded and stood up, offering a hand so that she could pull me up next to her.

"Okay, I'll help you" she said and I smiled and threw my arms around her, making her stiffen before she hugged me back and we pulled away, the guys laughing slightly.

"Sorry about her Charlie, she's a hugger" Dean said and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I've never known you to complain" I said, wiggling my eyebrows teasingly and Dean winked playfully in return making Sam gag jokingly. Charlie looked between the three of us weirdly, before sending a disgusted look at me and Dean and we both snorted with laughter as we climbed into the Impala and I slid over, allowing Charlie to climb into the backseat with me.

"I thought you guys were related?" she asked which made Dean and I laugh harder before I shook my head.

"No, that would be gross. Sam, Dean and I go way back. Like my whole nineteen years way back. Our families knew each other and they took me in when I needed it. They are like family, but we're not related, and Dean and I get a kick out of freaking people out by making little flirtatious jokes" I shrugged and Charlie frowned at me, making me shrug at her unvoiced question and smile.

"It is weird to outsiders, but when you're on the road as much as what we are, you learn to make your own fun and have your own private jokes. I've had Sam ask me a few times if I was sure there is nothing going on between Dean and I and he knows as well as I do that Dean is practically my annoying, pain in the ass older brother that you can't help but love, so you can imagine how funny it is. But we're weird people" I said, shrugging and she smiled before shaking her head.

"You're funny" she stated and I grinned.

"Thanks, would you like to say that louder so Dean hears you?" I asked and she laughed a little. It made me feel better, that even when she was upset and hurting, that I could offer a little relief from that by making her laugh. That was what I resorted to in order to keep the boys entertained and bring their spirits up if they were feeling down.

"Pull up here" Charlie instructed before climbing out and leaning into the passenger side.

"Give me five minutes" she said before disappearing up the stairs and into the house as the boys and myself climbed out, going straight to the boot and taking some of the equipment needed out of the boot and placing them in a duffel before we walked away from the Impala and hurried around the side of the house before climbing up onto the roof below the bedroom that belonged to Jill.

After about five minutes, Charlie slid the window up and Sam climbed through, followed by Dean throwing him the duffel and the two of us climbing through, where I saw Sam rifling around in the duffel which he had placed on the bed.

"What did you tell Jill's mom?" Sam asked, because I knew Charlie had been a little unsure of what she would say to Jill's mom.

"Just that I needed some time alone with Jill's photos and stuff" Charlie said, before sighing and shaking her head as Dean closed the bedroom curtains and Sam removed one of the devices from the duffel.

"I hate lying to her" Charlie sighed and I sent her a small smile from where I was standing beside her.

"It'll be worth it when we end this and you and everyone else in this town will be safe" I reassured her and she sent me a small smile in return.

"Can you hit the lights?" I asked and Charlie nodded, before walking over to the wall by the door and flicking the light switch.

"So what are you looking for?" she asked.

"We'll let you know when we find it" Dean replied and I shrugged at Charlie. We weren't too sure what to expect yet, which was the whole reason for being in Jill's bedroom, to discover something that will point us in the right direction. I turned to Sam and saw that he had the video camera in his hand, where he walked over to Dean.

"Hey, night vision?" he asked and Dean fiddled with something as Sam looked into the screen before nodding.

"Perfect" he stated, focusing the camera on Dean who looked into the lens.

"Do I look like Paris Hilton?" he asked and Sam and I looked at each other before I smirked and focused on Dean.

"Yeah, if Paris Hilton had an ugly brother" I shrugged and he glared at me, as Sam walked over to the mirror in Jill's closet and I laughed, Charlie grinning from where she stood beside me. Dean glared at her too.

"Don't agree with her" Dean said and I rolled my eyes before Charlie shook her head, a small amused smile playing on her lips.

"You annoyed that I have someone who will actually agree with me because they agree instead of being sarcastic about it?" I asked and Dean frowned.

"I agree with you on things" he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah if those things include taking the piss out of your brother" I shrugged and stuck my tongue out at Dean.

"Why what do you say about me?" Sam asked and I grinned at him before shrugging.

"Nothing we don't then say to your face" I reassured and Charlie laughed slightly before I turned to her and grinned.

"I love them really, who wouldn't love those pretty faces?" I asked, rhetorically but felt that Charlie agreed with me, in that she thought they were cute. Both Sam and Dean snorted at this because I'd called them 'pretty' but they loved me really.

"So I don't get it. The first victim didn't summon Mary, but the second one did. How's she choosing them?" Sam asked.

"Beats me" Dean and I said at the same time, making Sam roll his eyes.

"Get a room you two" he said and I stuck my tongue out at him as he closed the closet door and I decided to walk around and see if I could get a feeling, though they had quietened a little bit in the last two jobs we'd worked. I switched between standing next to Dean and Sam while they were filming or scanning walls, doors, and mirrors.

"I want to know why Jill said it in the first place" Dean huffed and I looked at Charlie who looked sad.

"It's just a joke" she stated and I frowned before walking over to the window in the bathroom and feeling the hairs along my arms rise and I started shivering.

"Sammy" I called and he walked through into the bathroom, frowning at how I was shivering even though it wasn't cold in the bathroom.

"Yeah well someone else is gonna say it soon and end up dead" Dean sighed as Sam started filming around the mirror and stopping when he saw something. I walked over and looked through the screen with him, seeing that there was something trickling down the bottom of the mirror.

"Hey Dean?" I called.

"There's a black light in the trunk right?" Sam asked, finishing off my sentence as we turned to see Dean and Charlie standing in the doorway before he nodded in response.

"I'll get it, you get that mirror off the wall" I instructed the boys before hurrying out of the bathroom, catching the keys that Dean threw to me along the way, and over to the window where I slid out onto the roof and shimmied down the side, carefully making my way back to the Impala.

I inserted the key into the trunk and unlocked it, before opening it up and propping the cover up with a gun, before rifling around in the arsenal for the black light, which basically looked like a UV light, or how I imagined one to look anyway. I extracted it from the trunk before setting everything straight and locking it back up, inserting the light into the waistband of my jeans so that I wouldn't drop it as I climbed back onto the roof and in through the window, handing the light to Sam who had just placed the mirror onto Jill's bed. He ripped off the brown paper covering the back of the mirror before scanning it down, to reveal a luminous handprint and two words, a name; Gary Bryman.

"Gary Bryman?" Sam asked and I turned to Charlie.

"You know who that is?" she wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head.

"No" she replied and I looked at the boys before we nodded. Research it was then.

Sam placed the mirror back in the bathroom while I binned the bits of paper as Dean packed everything back up again.

"We're heading to the library to find out who this person is. Are you coming with us?" I asked knowing this was a stupid thing to ask. Charlie nodded in response.

"Yeah, I'll meet you in the car?" she asked and we nodded, the three of us climbing back out through the window and heading down to the Impala.

Sam and I walked out of the library, towards where Dean and Charlie had stayed sitting on the bench outside, since we were quicker at finding information out and didn't want them hovering over us, distracting us. The two of them looked up as we approached.

"So, Gary Bryman was an eight year old boy and two years ago he was killed in a hit and run" Sam began and I nodded along.

"The car was described as a black Toyota Camry, but no one got the license plates or the driver" I finished off and Charlie stared in shock.

"Oh my god" she said and I frowned at her.

"What?" Dean asked and she looked up, switching her gaze between the three of us, before her eyes landed back on Sam and I.

"Jill drove that car" she stated and Dean looked at us before at Charlie.

"We need to get back to your friend Donna's house" he stated and Charlie nodded slowly.

If there was something on the back of Jill's mirror, revealing a secret where someone had died by her hands, then perhaps there was something similar in the Shoemaker house too? It was a possibility, and a big one at that, because I had a feeling that we would find something, some big dark secret that Donna's dad had been hiding.

"Let's go" I urged and we all climbed into the car and drove over to the Shoemaker place.

"What are we gonna tell Donna?" I asked and the boys looked at me before smiling.

"Oh well, you and Charlie are going to go inside and chat to her while we check to the mirror upstairs" Dean said and I rolled my eyes before Charlie climbed out and I followed after her, the four of us walking up to the house where Charlie knocked and then walked in. I froze and she frowned back at me.

"Come on" she urged and I sighed before stepping over the threshold and she frowned.

"What?" I shrugged in reply and followed after her to where Donna was sitting in the living room. I didn't like the idea of just walking into the house without being invited in by the owners, even though Charlie was good friends with Donna, I don't know it didn't seem right.

"Charlie" Donna smiled, looking up from her place on the couch, before she smiled and me and frowned curiously at the boys.

"Hey Donna" I smiled widely and she smiled back.

"Hey yourself Ali, what are you doing here?" I shrugged in response.

"Well we all bumped into Charlie and I asked her how you were doing, so she invited me around to see you. I hope that's okay?" I asked and she smiled before nodding in response and I waved my hands at the boys.

"And these idiots forgot to use the toilet before I dragged them out, so I was hoping they could use your bathroom if that's okay?" I asked and she smiled before nodding.

"Sure" she said and I nodded before turning to the boys and waving them away.

"That's what you get for having a bladder the size of a peanut" I sighed and Dean snorted, grinning at me and I glared at him.

"Go use the toilet you pervert" I said and he frowned at me.

"I didn't say anything" he exclaimed and I smirked.

"But you were thinking it, it was written all over your face" I said and Sam snorted at Dean's annoyed expression before pulling him up the stairs and I rolled my eyes at them before walking over to Donna.

"Those boys will be the death of me" I sighed as Charlie giggled and Donna grinned.

"They are cute though" she pointed out and I huffed, sitting back against the chair.

"Don't let them hear you say that, especially Dean, his ego is big enough as it is" I sighed and the girls smiled at me.

"But you think they are cute" Charlie said and I laughed.

"Of course I do, I'm a normal teenage girl" I said and they both grinned at me.

"How old are they Ali?" Donna asked and I frowned.

"Girl if you even think about going after them I'll bitch slap you" I joked and she stuck her tongue out at me, before I shook my head.

"Dean's twenty six and Sam's twenty two, but Dean is a player and Sam's… well he's complicated at the moment" I sighed and the girls frowned before nodding.

"But I didn't come here to talk about them, or how hot they look in a suit" I said, adding a wink to the end and both girls laughed, before I turned to Donna.

"How are you? I mean, I spoke to Charlie and she told me about your friend Jill?" I asked and Donna sighed before shaking her head in reply.

"I don't know, I mean Jill and my dad so close to each other? And both suffering the same condition? It's so horrible" she sighed before shrugging, "-but I'm doing okay I suppose" she finished and I smiled slightly as the boys came back down the stairs and I looked at them, Dean nodding in reply which made me sigh and stand up before walking over to them, Donna and Charlie following after them.

"Donna, you know how you said you found it weird?" I asked and she nodded slowly in response.

"Well I think there's something a little weird going on here. We found out that Jill had a secret, and we think your dad did too" I said, before turning to the boys and they motioned for me to carry on. Crap, she was going to think I was psycho.

"Well we think your sister was right when she thought it was Bloody Mary killing your dad, and now Jill too. We checked the bathrooms, more specifically the mirrors they died in front of, and on the back names were spelt out and we think your dad killed whoever's name is spelt on the back on the mirror" I sighed and Donna looked at me as though I'd just grown an extra head or two.

"Donna, can you tell us who Linda Shoemaker is?" Dean asked and I closed my eyes as I looked away, Linda was Donna's mom, before I opened my eyes and looked at Donna, watching her face, to see grief flash across her features for a split second.

"She was your mom" I stated and Donna turned to look at me before nodding slightly and I bit my lip.

"I don't mean to pry, but how did she die?" I asked and Donna frowned at me before looking at the boys.

"I don't understand why you're asking me this?" she replied and I sighed.

"I'm sorry Donna, but it's important. Please?" I urged and she looked at me.

"Yeah, Linda was my mom, but she overdosed on sleeping pills. Okay? It was an accident. Now I think you should leave" she replied.

"Now Donna listen to me-" Dean said and she shook her head.

"Get out of my house" she shouted before running up the stairs and slamming the door behind her. Charlie looked at us in astonishment.

"Oh my god, you don't think her dad killed her mom do you?" she asked and I looked at the boys before shrugging in response, but that's exactly what all three of us thought.

"Maybe" Sam replied and Charlie looked a little unnerved but she handled it well, nodding instead.

"I think I should stick around" she stated and we nodded.

"Okay, but whatever you do don't-" Dean began and Charlie shook her head.

"Believe me, I won't" she reassured us before walking up the stairs, obviously to find Donna as we made our way out of the house and towards the car.

"Considering what I first thought, they aren't exactly the Brady bunch" I sighed, and Sam froze, looking at me wide eyed and I frowned at him.

"Sammy?" I questioned and he blinked, snapping himself out of it before shaking his head and hopping into the car. I frowned at Dean and he frowned back before we shrugged at each other and slid into the car as well. I had no idea what had just freaked Sam out, but whatever it was, it was something that I'd said, but he wasn't giving off much for me to read.

"Wait, wait, wait, you're doing a nationwide search?" Sam asked as he looked at notes and things posted on a bulletin board in the library we were sitting in while Dean nodded from his place behind the computer and I was standing behind him, watching him work since I'd never done that sort of searching before.

"Yup. The NCIC, the FBI, at this point any Mary who died in front of a mirror is good enough for me" he said and Sam frowned.

"But if she's haunting this town, she should have died in this town?" Sam asked and I shrugged in reply to his questioning look.

"I'm telling you, there was nothing local. So unless you have a better idea-?" Dean began but Sam cut him off and I frowned at Sam, nodding along to the thoughts whirring in his head which I could see slightly on his face as he processed them.

"I agree Sammy, there is some sort of pattern in the way she's choosing her victims" I stated and both boys frowned at me.

"Dude, what the heck?" Dean asked and I snorted.

"Please, I know you guys better than you probably know each other. I know how your minds think, besides I was thinking the same as Sammy and I could see the thoughts processing on his face" I shrugged and Sam frowned.

"That's kind of freaky Als" he said and I grinned before shrugging and focusing my attention back on the computer screen.

"With Mr Shoemaker and Jill's hit and run" Sam finished what he was saying.

"Both had secrets where people died" Dean finished and Sam and I nodded in response. I was thinking the same thing just before we went to Donna's house.

"Right" Sam said and I frowned at him.

"Well there's a lot of folklore about mirrors right?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yup, they say that mirrors reveal your secrets and lies, that they are a true reflection of your soul, which is why it's bad luck to break them" he said and I nodded. I thought it was something like that, but mirrors could always trap spirits which is why people used to cover mirrors after someone had died, especially if that person had died in the house, so that its spirit couldn't get trapped in the mirror.

"Right, right. So maybe if you've got a really nasty secret where someone died and Mary sees it and punishes you for it" Dean said and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, whether you're the one who conjured her or not" he stated.

"Take a look at this" Dean said and I frowned at the computer as a picture pushed itself out of the printer where he handed the printed version to Sam. The picture was of a woman lying in a puddle of her own blood, placed in front of a mirror and the letters TRE spelled out on the floor in her own blood and a handprint.

"Looks like the same handprint" Sam said and I shivered in reply, making him frown.

"Mary Worthington, an unsolved case in Fort Wayne, Indiana" Dean stated and I sighed before moving away from Dean so that he could push away from the computer.

"Fort Wayne it is then" I said.

"I was a detective for thirty five years, but nothing got to me like the unsolved case of Mary Worthington" the man said and the three of us frowned at him.

"What exactly happened?" Dean questioned.

"You three said you were reporters?" he asked and we all nodded.

"Yes sir" I replied.

"We know that Mary Worthington was nineteen years old and lived by herself. We also know that she won a few local beauty pageants and dreamt of getting out of here to be an actress and we also know that on the night of March twenty-ninth someone broke into her apartment and murdered her by cutting her eyes out" I stated. Sam and I had done some research on the drive down, since we didn't want to walk into this blind. Err... pun not intended.

"That's correct" the now-retired detective said.

"See sir, when we ask you what happened, we'd like to know what you thought happened" Sam said politely and the detective frowned before nodding and standing up before walking over to a filing cabinet where he opened it and removed a file, before walking over and placing it down on the desk in front of the boys.

"I'm not supposed to have a copy of this" the man said to start his reply and I nodded, he may not have one but the way the case haunted him, he'd obviously made copies to look through things on his own and see if he couldn't come up with his own result. That hadn't worked out how he'd wanted to, but he opened up the file, removing the picture we'd already looked at on the internet.

"You see that there? Those letter, T-R-E?" he asked, pointing them out to the three of us.

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"Well I think Mary was trying to spell out the name of her killer" he stated and I frowned. That actually made sense, she couldn't reveal her own killer so she revealed the fact that those people she'd killed had killed people in return, accident or not.

"You know who it was?" Sam and I asked at once and the man sighed, before shaking his head.

"No, not for sure, but there was a local man, a surgeon named Trevor Sampson" he began, before pulling out a photo of the man and showing it to us. "And I think he cut her up good."

"What makes you say that?" I asked but if I'd been around when that happened, I would've agreed with him, since the conclusion would've been obvious at the time.

"Why would he do that?" I asked, as I realised that there must be some sort of reason behind the murder, the why was perhaps more important than why the detective thought that.

"Well her diary mentioned a man who she had been seeing. In her diary, she referred to him as 'T' and in her last entry, Mary said that she was going to tell 'T's wife" the detective stated and I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, how do you know it was Sampson who killed her?" Dean asked and the man shrugged in reply.

"Well it's hard to say, but the way in which her eyes were cut out… it was almost done in a professional way" he stated and I nodded slowly. Well this man had been a surgeon, that was his living after all and a professional way of cutting out eyes just made him guilty.

"But you could never prove it?" Dean asked.

"No we had no evidence. No prints, no murder weapon, no witnesses. He was meticulous" the man replied.

"Is he still alive?" Dean asked and the man sighed before sitting back down from where he had been leaning over the table to talk to us.

"Nope. If you ask me, Mary spent her last dying moments trying to expose this guy's secrets but never could" he said.

"Where was she buried?" I asked.

"She wasn't, she was cremated"

"What about that mirror? It's not in some evidence lockup somewhere is it?" Dean asked, nodding to the mirror in the picture.

"Err no, that mirror was returned to her family a long time ago" was the reply. Ah shit!

"You have the names of her family by any chance?" Sam asked and the man nodded, before going to retrieve the information we needed, soon returning with a slip of paper and handing it to us.

"Thank you for your time and help" I said, standing up and the man nodded at me before I held my hand out for him to shake, closely followed by the boys and we made our way out to the Impala which Dean had parked out front. That had been easy to get the information for a change.

"Oh really? Well that's a shame Mr Worthington, I would've paid a lot of money for that mirror. Okay, until next time, bye" Sam said into the phone before cancelling the call.

So?" Dean asked, as we drove back to Toledo.

"So that was Mary's brother. The mirror had been in the family for years until he sold it a week ago to a story called Estate Antiques. A store in Toledo" Sam stated and I sighed, rubbing my temples slightly in frustration.

"So wherever the mirror goes Mary goes?" Dean asked and I snorted a laugh as I thought of something funny.

"What?" Sam and Dean asked at the same time, looking at me through the rear-view and I shook my head in reply.

"Sorry the whole 'Mary following the mirror' thing made me think of the nursery rhyme about Mary having a little lamb" I said and the boys thought for a moment before snorting.

"Oh yeah" they replied and I cleared my throat.

"But yeah, her spirit is tied with it somehow, but then again she did die in front of the mirror" I shrugged.

"Isn't there an old superstition that says mirrors can capture souls?" Dean asked and I frowned at the fact that I thought the exact same thing. Sam nodded in reply.

"Yeah, it says that when a person died in a house, people would cover the mirrors so that they wouldn't draw in the person's spirit" Sam stated and I settled into the leather seat of the Impala.

"So when Mary died, the mirror drew her spirit in?" I questioned and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, but how can she move through all those different mirrors?" he asked and I shrugged my shoulders though he was just voicing a thought, not expecting an answer.

"I don't know, but if the mirror is the source then I say we find it and smash it" Dean said and I saw Sam frown before his phone rang.

"Yeah maybe" he replied before digging out his cell and answering it.

"Hello?" he asked before pausing and I saw the same look of concern flash across his face the last time Charlie called.

"Charlie?" he asked.

"Okay stay where you are, we're coming to pick you up" Sam said before nodding in reply and shutting the phone.

"Put your foot down Dean" he instructed and Dean did just that.

"Apparently Charlie is in danger. Mary is after her" he stated and I felt the car surge forwards even more, Dean pressing his foot down more on the gas and I looked out of the window as Sam rattled off where to pick Charlie up. Apparently we were going to take her to the motel we were staying at, since it would be easier to keep her there while we dealt with Mary.

I sat on the bed next to Charlie, who had her knees brought up to her chest and her face hidden in her jacket. Sam and Dean were walking around the room, closing curtains, and covering mirrors or taking down the small ones and placing them face down on the floor, both of them sending the occasional glance over to us, since I had my arm around Charlie to try and keep her as calm as possible. I didn't want her freaking out like she had done at school, where she saw Mary in the windows and screamed bloody murder. She was worried her classmates would now think she was crazy, but her life was more important at the moment.

"Hey, hey, it's okay now Charlie. You can open your eyes. The guys have finished" I urged and she slowly lifted her head out of where she had been hiding before looking around quickly and carefully.

"You're safe for the time being" Sam said, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Now, you're gonna stay here, on this bed, where it's safe. And you're not going to look into mirrors or anything else that has your reflection and as long as you do that she cannot hurt you" Sam said and Charlie looked at me, tear trails streaked along her cheeks before she turned and looked at Sam.

"But I can't do that forever" she whimpered and I swallowed against the tidal wave of fear and guilt that had surged into my heart. "I'm gonna die, aren't I?" she asked and Sam and I frowned at her before shaking our heads.

"No, not anytime soon" I replied and she sighed.

"We're gonna end this Charlie okay?" I reassured and she smiled up at me before placing her head on my shoulder and I held her tightly, swallowing and squeezing my eyes shut against the pain and guilt that belonged to me at how familiarity that holding Charlie made me feel, that threatened to eat me alive, but I couldn't focus on that right now.

Dean came over and after frowning at me in concern, which I shook my head in response telling him not to worry, he focused back on Charlie and sat on the bed, at the end of our feet and looked at her.

"Okay, we need to know what happened" he urged and she took a deep breath before nodding.

"We were in the bathroom. Donna said it" she stated and Dean frowned before shaking his head.

"That's not what I meant. Something happened in your life didn't it? A secret… where someone got hurt? Can you tell us about it?" Dean replied and Charlie took a deep breath, removing her head from my shoulder.

"I had this boyfriend and I loved him, but he scared me too you know? Well one night we were at his house and got into a fight. I broke up with him and he said he loved me, he said he needed me. He said 'Charlie if you walk out of this house, I'm going to kill myself'" Charlie said, trembling slightly and I held her tighter.

"And you know what I said? I said 'go ahead' and I left. How could I say that? How could I leave him like that? But I didn't think he would actually do it… I should have" she said before looking down and starting to cry into her knees again and I hugged her, where she gripped my arms.

"We'll end this Charlie so that she can't hurt you, can't hurt anyone else again" I reassured, before slipping off the bed and walking over to the motel room and walking outside, letting the door click shut behind me as I gripped the bar that ran along the outside of the buildings, along the edge of the walkway in front of the rooms. I gripped the bar tightly as my legs started to shake and I sucked in a deep breath.

Having Charlie grip me tightly, hugging her and comforting her like I had done had brought back some memories of how my sister would cling to me, especially after a nightmare and how I would comfort her and sing to her until she fell back to sleep again, still gripping me tightly, even in her sleep. My pain and guilt was hard to control because of how I'd let her down, how I'd let my parents down. As the oldest I had always felt responsible for looking after Liss and I'd failed, because she had died and it was my fault. I had taunted and angered the demon and he took it out on Liss because he saw fire in me that he would've liked to use, by moulding me how he wanted me.

"Als?" Sam asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and I wiped my face, getting rid of the evidence of me crying before I nodded.

"Let's kill this bitch" I said, heading for the Impala where Dean was already sitting inside, behind the wheel, but I avoided talking to them about my emotional state for the duration of the ride to the shop.

"You know, her boyfriend killing himself. That's not really Charlie's fault" Dean stated.

"You know as well as I do Dean that spirits don't see in shades of grey. Charlie had a secret where someone died, that's good enough for Mary" Sam sighed.

"I guess" Dean replied, but it was obvious that he didn't like that fact, but spirits were tricky little shits.

"You know, I've been thinking, that it may not be good enough to just smash the mirror" Sam began and I frowned at the back of his head.

"Why, what do you mean?" I asked and Sam sighed, turning himself slightly so as to be able to look at both Dean and myself.

"Well it's hard to pin Mary down right? I mean she moves from mirror to mirror, so who's to say that she won't just keep hiding in them forever. So I was thinking we should summon her to her mirror and then smash it" he said and I frowned before nodding as this seemed like the good option. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"Well how do you know it's going to work?" Dean asked carefully and Sam sighed.

"I don't, not for sure" he replied and there was a brief pause in which I already guessed Dean's next question, to which I was ready for.

"Well, who's going to summon her?" he asked and I sighed.

"I am" Sam and I stated at once before Sam turned to frown directly at me and Dean frowned at Sam, before turning to frown at me through the rear-view mirror before Dean shook his head and I glared at Sam.

"You know what, that's it" Dean huffed, before pulling the car over to the side of the road and I shook my head at Sam, who glared at me.

"This is about Jess right?" I asked and he scoffed, shaking his head.

"You think that's your dirty little secret? You think that you killed her? Is that it? Damn Sam, this needs to stop, the nightmares, the calling her name out in the middle of the night. It's gonna kill you" Dean sighed and I nodded I reply as Sam shook his head at what Dean had said.

"I agree Sammy, it isn't your fault, if you want something to blame, then how about the thing that killed her? Hell, take a swing at Dean, or me, I mean we are the ones that dragged you away from her after all" I stated and Sam frowned before shaking his head.

"I don't blame you guys" he said, guilt swelling up inside him and I frowned. That wasn't it at all, I mean he blamed himself but that wasn't everything.

"Then don't blame yourself, there's nothing you could've done" Dean said and Sam sighed, swallowing but looking hurt and in pain. And I received his emotions a few seconds later. Wow he was really beating himself up over this!

"I could've warned her" he sighed, sounding exhausted and defeated and hopeless.

"About what? You didn't know it was gonna happen, besides it won't work, I know your secret so Mary won't go after you" Dean stated and I snorted a laugh. Wow he really didn't know his brother.

"No you don't" Sam sighed and Dean frowned at him.

"What?" he asked and Sam sighed before I shook my head.

"He isn't gonna tell us everything Dean" I shrugged and Sam turned to frown at me in surprise, "Sammy is keeping things from us" was all I said but I could tell that he was scared at the fact that I knew this, so I smiled kindly.

"Don't worry Sam, I don't know what you're hiding, and I'm not going to pry" I said and his expression told me that I wouldn't be able to pry because he wouldn't tell me anything, but he didn't need to say it out loud. I could still find out what I wanted to find out, but I swore I would never do that, besides I couldn't do that anymore, I'd tried a few times, especially since Sam left and it didn't work. I'd lost that ability. The boys frowned at me.

"And apparently you're keeping secrets from us?" Dean questioned and I shrugged, before turning to Sam who also frowned. He knew about the demon, but he knew that that obviously wasn't the secret since I'd told him, even if I hadn't told Dean. They both sighed.

"Well I don't like it, it's not happening" Dean stated and I smiled.

"I agree with you Dean" I nodded and he smiled in response.

"Which is why I'm doing it. I've played bait before, and I have you guys to back me up" I shrugged and they both started shaking their heads before I'd even finished.

"Nu, uh, no way, not a chance in hell" Dean said, and Sam nodded eagerly, agreeing with him and I rolled my eyes. The one thing Sam and John had always agreed on was me. I rubbed the space between my eyebrows, feeling a dull ache appear.

"Guys, there is a girl back there and she's gonna die unless we do something about it. Hell, who know how many more people could die if we don't finish this? Now I'm not seeing another option here" I stated and the boys rolled their eyes.

"Well, there's only me left. Dean and I are dead set against you doing this Ali, if we have to tie you up in the back of the car, we will do" Sam said and I frowned at him before opening my mouth.

"You argue with me, I won't hesitate in hitting you over the head" Sam glared at me and I swallowed.

"Yes sir" I joked and he sighed, obviously not liking that since it reminded him too much of his dad.

"Okay Sammy, I don't like it, but okay" I stated, blinking rapidly to try and calm myself down. My nerves were starting up now and I felt hyper alert to everything. I could hear the rustle of some animals on the trees and was aware of how my jeans were starting to stick to me and how the seat beneath me was getting to become too hot. I was starting to become too hot and I didn't like the idea of Sam doing this, but I felt his need to do this. To face this and hopefully face whatever he was hiding, as well as the urge to keep me safe. He'd lost Jess and he'd lost their mom though he was too young to remember, he felt horrible that people he loved, people close to him died, and he wasn't going to risk losing me, because if anything happened to him I could keep Dean under control. I sighed and closed my eyes before nodding and we climbed out of the car before walking over to the shop where Sam bent to pick the lock using the kit he kept on him. I looked at Dean and he smiled slightly in response, but I could tell this was difficult for him too.

The lock clicked and Sam pushed the door open where we stepped inside the shop, the three of us clicking our flashlights on before Dean and I groaned.

"Well this will be easy" Dean sighed and we exchanged a glance before facing the shop full of mirrors. He removed the picture of Mary in front of the mirror from his pocket.

"Alright, let's start looking" he said and I glanced quickly at the picture before walking further into the shop and swinging my light over the mirrors, checking each one out briefly but thoroughly before moving on to the next.

"Maybe they sold it already?" Dean called out, showing that he hadn't found anything either.

"Err… I don't think so" Sam replied and I frowned before walking in the direction of his voice, where he was standing in front of a mirror. Dean held the picture up and compared it to the mirror in front of us before sighing and nodding.

"This is the one" Dean stated and I swallowed, glancing up at Sam.

"You sure about this?" I questioned Sam who looked back at me and gave me a reassuring smile.

"You can back out now. I can do this Sam, it doesn't bother me" I said and Sam shook his head, frowning in response.

"I can do it Als" he sighed, before handing Dean his flashlight and Dean handed him the crowbar. Sam sighed before standing directly in front of the mirror, with Dean and I standing either side of him.

"Bloody Mary… Blood Mary" Sam said, holding the crowbar up ready and looking at Dean then myself as Dean gave him an unsure look. I bit my lip in worry, hoping that Sam would be okay.

"Blood Mary" Sam said and we paused before a light roamed over the shop and we frowned at each other.

"I'll go check it out, you stay here and be careful. Smash anything that moves" Dean stated and Sam nodded before looking at me.

"You go with him Als" he said and I frowned before shaking my head.

"No, I'm staying here, I'll cover your ass" I stated and he frowned.

"Don't argue with me Als, I don't want you to get hurt. She goes after anyone with a secret and I'm not risking my conjuring her hurting you" he said, pleading with me with his eyes and I sighed before looking at Dean who gave me a quick nod.

"Okay I'm going. Don't get your ass kicked though, I'd like to be able to hug you afterwards" I sighed and he smiled slightly as Dean I backed away, before creeping around the corner of one of the mirrors and frowning.

"Crap" I sighed, seeing the lights of a police car. Dean placed his crowbar down before stepping out and I followed him, tucking the flashlights into my pockets since the jacket was deep. Dean and I walked outside.

"Hold it" the police officer said and we held our hands up.

"Whoa, hold it guys. We accidentally tripped the system" Dean said and the officers frowned.

"Who are you?" they asked.

"We're the boss's kids" Dean said and the officers both frowned.

"You're Mr Yamashiro's kids?" the officer on the left asked.

"Yeah, the boss's kids. We were adopted" I stated and the officers nodded unconvincingly.

"Yeah right, see we didn't know he had kids"

"Like she said, we're adopted" Dean said firmly.

"Yeah" one said, obviously not believing us as the other moved to stand behind me and I sighed as Dean did at the same time.

"Yeah, look, I really don't have time for this" he stated and I shrugged apologetically. Dean punched the cop in front of him and I did the same to the one in front of me, but I didn't punch him hard enough, so I punched him again, before kicking him in the balls for good measure and heard Dean wince where I turned around and saw him cupping his crotch. I smiled and shrugged.

"It's a girl's best defence" I stated before we ran back into the shop, Dean picking up his crowbar along the way before we ran over to where Sam should be.

"Fuck" I cursed as we ran over to him, seeing him kneeling on the floor, obviously having problems breathing and in pain. Dean smashed his crowbar through the mirror and I grabbed Sam.

"Sam! Sammy?!" Dean shouted as I held onto the man and Sam groaned.

"It's Sam" he sighed and I let lose a snort of relief at the fact that he was still fighting Dean about that nickname. I moved in front of him and made a face at the blood running out of his eyes and down his cheeks, rubbing away the trails with my thumbs.

"God, are you okay?" Dean asked.

"Uh, yeah" Sam reply, but I could tell he wasn't doing too good.

"Come on" Dean urged Sam as we wrapped his arms around our shoulder.

"Come on Sam" I said, helping him up to his feet before I shivered. My stomach churned and I wanted to vomit.

"Als?" Sam asked and I removed his arm from around my neck before sliding to the floor as the boys turned around. I glanced quickly to see that Mary had crawled out of the empty mirror frame and was walking over to my boys. The both groaned and I gasped, pushing myself backwards and out of her eye sight as her attention was focused entirely on them. They both sank to the floor, moans of pain escaping their lips as blood started to drip down their cheeks from their eyes. I looked to my right and saw a mirror so I grabbed it and hauled myself to my feet, walking over and gritting my teeth.

"Hey whore" I called and Mary turned her attention in my direction.

"No one hurts my boys" I said, blinking against the pain as she turned her judgmental gaze on me, causing a tear of blood to run free, before I crouched behind the mirror, pointing it in her direction. I glanced at Sam and Dean and saw them slump to the floor in relief.

"You did it. You killed all those people" a gravelly, female voice said. I heard Mary scream before I shivered and glanced around, seeing a puddle of blood onto the floor so I stood up and dropped the mirror, making it fall to the floor and a crash to echo around the room as it broke. I let out a sigh of relief before turning to Sam and Dean and wincing at how messed up they looked, where I hurried over to them.

"Hey Sam?" Dean called.

"Yeah?" his brother replied.

"This has to be like what… six hundred years of bad luck?" he asked and I laughed quietly as Sam chuckled weakly.

"Come on boys, let's go get you cleaned up" I sighed, before bending down and wrapping their arms around my neck, straightening up and pulling them up with me. They groaned a little and I sighed.

"Come on, I know it hurts" I said, walking forwards and out through the shop, seeing the police officers were still out cold where I placed Sam and Dean in the backseat of the car. I hopped into the driver's seat and Dean gasped.

"Ali, step away from the wheel" he said and I chuckled before starting the car, since I'd removed the keys from Dean's jacket without him knowing. I put the car into forwards and pressed down on the gas, where I eased out of where we'd parked and drove a little too slowly back to the motel, where I parked in the parking space and turned the engine off, climbing out of the car to help Dean out of the back and walked around to help Sam, who was already climbing weakly out of the passenger side. I supported Sam, since he was still a little unsteady and threw Dean the keys, where he caught them, just barely and walked over to the room before unlocking the door, where Charlie stared at us in fright. I smiled at her and nodded towards the bathroom.

"Get me two towels and wet them please?" I instructed and she swallowed before nodding and hesitantly making her way into the bathroom.

"Oh, you're safe by the way Charlie, we killed her" I said, settling Sam on the bed and nodding Dean over.

"Lie down" I instructed, pointing to the other bed and he did as I told him before I walked after Charlie, where she emerged from the bathroom. I took a towel from her and walked over to Sam, sitting by his head and nodding to Dean where Charlie smiled and nodded, going to sit by him too.

I pressed the towel against Sam's skin, wiping away the blood trails as carefully as possible and he winced a little, obviously still feeling tender.

"Close your eyes Sam" I whispered and he did just that, where I pressed the towel to his eyes, leaving it there as I smoothed the hair out of his face and adjusting the towel every now and then, looking over at Charlie and seeing her doing the same to Dean. She looked up at me at that moment and grinned, before winking at me and I frowned questioningly, not understanding what she meant by that wink before turning back to Sam and removing the towel.

"How are you boys feeling?" I asked and Dean chuckled.

"Just fine Ali, quit worrying" he said and I snorted a laugh.

"Oh I'm sorry, the two of you could've possibly had your eyes blown up tonight and you're telling me not to worry? After all these years? After everything we've been through and the time we've spent together, you're telling me not to worry? After everything I went through?" I replied, a little pissed off and Sam sat up, turning so that he could face me and hold my hands tightly. Charlie removed the towel from Dean's eyes and my brother sat up to look at me before he sighed.

"I'm sorry Ali, I should expect this by now right?" he asked and I frowned before nodding.

"To right Winchester and that won't be going anywhere, even when we're old and wrinkly. Even though you can keep your own pretty ass safe" I shrugged and he snorted a laugh before shaking his head.

"Now go and get cleaned up. The sun's rising and we need to drop Charlie off" I stated and Dean nodded in reply, heading to the bathroom before turning back to look at me, frowning in reply.

"Since when could you drive?" he asked and I shrugged in response.

"Since I can't swim. Your dad thought it would be good for me to learn how to drive. You know when I used to work with John instead of you?" I asked and he nodded slowly so I shrugged.

"Well we had a dull day, I was worrying about you and he taught me to drive his jeep as a way to keep my mind off you" I replied, sending him a smile, "-but that was the first time I'd drove the Impala, plus John never yelled down my ear" I glared and Dean grinned apologetically before disappearing into the shower and Sam grabbed my chin, turning my head to face him where he started dabbing at the bit of blood on my left cheek with the towel and I smiled smugly.

"I'm fine Sammy" I sighed and he glared, "-but you are a pain in my ass" I said, making him smile before I sighed and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck.

"Don't scare me like that again, and don't ever put me in that position where I have to back down, purely because you think potentially hurting yourself will keep me safe. I don't like it" I sighed into his ear and he held me tighter.

"I couldn't risk losing you Als, I'm sorry" he sighed, shaking his head and I hugged him tighter.

"I know Sam, but it's my job to look after my boys, we look after each other remember?" I sighed and he snorted a laugh before pulling away as Dean emerged from the shower.

"Dude, tell your sister-" Sam started as he stood up and Dean frowned in confusion. It was a sort of joke we had, Dean and I felt like siblings but I never thought of Sam as a brother and he never thought of me as a sister. Dean frowned at me.

"What are you doing now?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Being an overprotective jerk?" I suggested and Sam snorted.

"I can deal with that, it's the whole 'my boys' thing that's weird" he said and I grinned.

"Well you and Dean are my boys. You're guys and you are kind of mine in a way. Look it's a chick thing, don't question it because I'll keep your ass safe now go and clean up jerk" I said and he grinned in response, winking at me before disappearing into the bathroom and Dean laughed, shaking his head.

"What?" I asked and he smiled knowingly.

"Oh nothing, just you two" he shrugged and I frowned.

"What?" I asked and he chuckled.

"Oh you'll find out one day" he said, before pulling his jeans on over the top of his boxers, following through with adding a shirt and I saw Charlie watch him, where she blushed a little after seeing that I saw her watching him. I winked jokingly at her and she rolled her eyes.

We pulled up outside of a house. Charlie was sitting in the back with me, Dean was driving and Sam was sitting shotgun as usual.

"So that's it? It's really over?" Charlie asked and I nodded in reply. She still seemed a little shaken up, though she had dealt well enough while waiting for us to drop her home, though my banter with the boys was apparently amusing enough that she was kept entertained and her mind kept off the fact that there was the possibility she could've died, had we failed. Which never really happened if we could help it.

"Yeah it's over" Dean stated nodding and Charlie smiled as he looked back and reached for her hand, she gripped his hand and gave it a little shake.

"Thank you" she said and he nodded before she turned to me and hugged me tightly.

"Stay safe Charlie. I gave you my number if you ever need to reach me for any reason at all, but I probably won't see you again" I sighed and she did to, "-so live your life and do things that make you happy. I wish you the best" I said and she nodded against my hold.

"You too Ali. I hope you find what you are looking for and that all this is over at some point so that you can live your life and be happy too. Look after your boys" she said, pulling away and we grinned at each other. She winked playfully before climbing out of the car and slamming it shut behind her, starting up the pathway.

"Charlie" Sam called through the window and she paused before turning back.

"You know, what happened with your boyfriend? You should try to forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault and there was nothing you could've done anyway. Sometimes bad things happen" he said and I frowned at the back of his head as Charlie smiled weakly before waving a final wave and turning, heading inside her house and we watched her go safely before Dean hit Sam on the arm and his brother turned to face him.

"That's good advice" he stated, his tone hinting at 'you should take your own advice' before we pulled off and began driving, but I could sense that Dean was chewing on something.

"Hey Sam?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Now that this is all over, I want you to tell me what that secret is" he said, his tone saying, 'I'm ready to hear it and be here for you' though I think we both knew deep down that Sam wouldn't be spilling his deepest, darkest secrets anytime soon. Sam sighed at this and I frowned at the back of his head before shaking my head at him, though he couldn't see me since he was looking out of the windscreen.

"Look Dean, you're my brother and I'd die for you. But there are some things that I need to keep to myself" he stated and I saw Dean frown over at him but Sam was looking out of the window, staring at something and I could tell that whatever it was he had saw had struck something in him because his posture was rigid. I frowned and looked out of my window to but there was nothing there, nothing except for the plants and pole on the side of the road. But I shivered, feeling that Sam was scared, shocked and confused.

"What next?" I asked, trying to distract Sam, but he still seemed tense so I placed my right hand on his right shoulder, offering him as much comfort as possible without Dean noticing. I knew he would probably say something otherwise and Sam didn't want that. He held my hand tightly, as I dug my thumb into his shoulder a little, hoping to ease a bit of the tenseness and it worked since he relaxed when we drove out of the town.

"Wherever we get led to next" Dean stated, before messing with something on the dash and music started playing in the car. I recognised it as an Iron Maiden song, which I thought was slightly funny I mean really 'Bring your daughter to the slaughter' some people we'd come across in our line of work probably would do that. Though it was a catchy tune.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- Skin**

I opened my eyes and blinked in confusion before settling my gaze on Sam and Dean, who were looking at me over their seats. I frowned at them.

"What? You never watched a teenage girl sleep before?" I mumbled and they rolled their eyes at me as I sighed and shifted in my seat before sitting upright instead of slouching in the position I'd fallen in this morning, since I hadn't slept well last night. Dean shook his head and frowned at me.

"What's going on?" he asked and I frowned at him before shrugging.

"What are you asking me for? I just woke up to see you chuckleheads staring at me. Talk about scaring me half to death" I replied and Dean glared at me as Sam sighed and shook his head at me.

"That's not what I mean and you know it" Dean stated, making me frown in confusion. He'd lost me; then again I was very slow when I had just woken up.

"You sleep with Sam every night now and when I wake up, you're already awake and showered, or I wake you up and you look half dead. Now tell me what is going on. Are you having nightmares again?" he asked and I bit the inside of my cheek before shrugging in response and shaking my head.

"I don't-"

"Don't lie to me Ali. I know you remember and I'm not blind so stop treating me like I'm stupid" Dean snapped and I sighed, before rubbing my eyes tiredly and nodding.

"Yeah they've come back" I sighed and Dean frowned before looking at Sam who shrugged and looked out of the window.

"Dude, you knew and didn't tell me?" Dean asked harshly and I sighed.

"Don't blame your brother Dean. I told him not to say anything because I didn't want to worry you" I sighed and Dean glared before turning around in his seat to look at me easily.

"Ali, whatever you think about you having to look after Sam and I and protect us is fine, but it doesn't mean to keep putting yourself on the backburner" Dean frowned and I sighed before shrugging.

"Well Sam isn't sleeping either and I figured that we may as well keep each other company and not interrupt you. We can't have all of us being sleep deprived" I shrugged and Sam snorted slightly as Dean frowned at me.

"This has been happening longer than I thought?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Err… over three weeks now. Maybe longer" I said and Dean squeezed his eyes closed before opening them and fixing me with a look.

"What, before the last job?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No, the nightmares returned the night before Jerry phoned about the demon on the plane" I sighed and saw Sam turn in his seat to look at me but I ignored him and Dean sighed before shaking his head and turning around in his seat.

"Do the two of you think that I can't handle these things or something?" he asked and I bit my lip before shuffling forwards and wrapping my arms around his neck, resting my chin on my arm over his right shoulder.

"I'm sorry Dean, but Sam and I love you. You already knew about Sam's nightmares and I thought that mine would disappear after a little while, that I was just stressed because they reappear when I'm stressed and I haven't been very well either, so I'm sorry" I sighed and Dean shook his head but twined his fingers with mine, where they hung over his chest.

"Were you not going to tell me then?" he asked and I shrugged in reply.

"Maybe, but I probably wouldn't have you told for about another month at least. But now you know, let's drop it, yeah?" I asked before kissing his temple and pulling away slowly, which made him sigh.

"Fine, but if you've been having nightmares then why haven't I heard you crying?" he asked and I bit my lip, feeling a little guilty as Sam sighed.

"Because I've been looking after her" he stated and Dean twisted in his seat to look at me wide eyed.

"What?" he exclaimed and I shrugged but nodded in response as Dean snorted.

"Wow! Here was me thinking I was the only brother for you" he said, winking and I frowned before sighing and scrubbing my face with my hands, to wipe away the traces of tiredness which made Dean frown worriedly.

"You should go back to sleep sis" he said and I shook my head.

"I'm awake now, I just need some coffee" I sighed and Dean nodded before turning around to face the front and I realised that we had been parked in front of a gas station.

"So I was thinking that we should hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south and hit Bisbee by midnight" Dean said instead and I blinked.

"Are we just driving through Bisbee or is there something there?" I asked and Dean shrugged in response so I took that as driving through unless we find something strange going on. Dean turned to Sam who was no longer paying attention to us, instead playing with something in his hands, which looked like his PalmPilot.

"Sam wears women's underwear" Dean said and I snorted.

"I wondered where half my bras had gone" I joked and Sam turned in his seat, to fix his glare on me and I smiled sweetly which made him roll his eyes.

"I'm paying attention, I'm just busy" Sam stated, but it seemed that his mind was elsewhere.

"Doin' what?" Dean and I questioned and Sam turned to look at us.

"Firstly you guys are freaking me out with how you keep doing that, and I swear I know what Ali would sound like if she was a guy and what you would sound like if you were a woman Dean" Sam said and I snorted a laugh as Dean frowned before turning to check me out and shrugging.

"I could be worse I suppose" he said and I rolled my eyes before looking at Sam and lifting my eyebrows questioningly since he hadn't answered my question.

"Oh…and I'm checking my emails" he said as Dean got out of the car and walked over to the pump.

"Emails from who?" he asked, before starting to fill the tank up on the car.

"From my friends at Stanford" Sam stated and I frowned in reply.

"You're kidding, you still keep in contact with your college buddies?" Dean called from the back of the car.

"Yeah why not?" Sam asked back.

"Well what exactly do you tell 'em? About where you've been, what you've been doing? Stuff like that" Dean asked, coming around to the passenger side to talk to Sam better.

"Well I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother and best friend. I tell them I needed time off after Jess" Sam replied and Dean nodded slowly.

"So you lie to 'em" Dean pointed out.

"No, I just don't tell 'em everything" Sam replied and I rolled my eyes.

"That's called lying, hey man, I get it tellin' the truth is much worse" Dean stated and I rolled my eyes again, before sighing and rubbing my aching eyes.

"So what do I do, just cut everyone out of my life?" Sam asked and Dean shrugged in reply as I sighed and Sam turned to look at me for help, but I shrugged, the same as Dean. Though I didn't really care because I'd never had friends outside of Hunting. My friends were the boys and John, on some days when he wasn't being a pain and pissing me off because of how he spoke to his boys or how he treated them.

"You guys are serious?" Sam questioned and I sighed before offering him a small, apologetic smile.

"Sorry Sammy, but it's easier to not tie yourself to anyone, especially in this line of work" I sighed and he frowned at me.

"Als, you're the one who always told me to hang on to whatever I wanted real tight" he said and I nodded in reply.

"Yes I still do say that, but I mean it in moderation, in ways that are healthy. Hanging on to something that won't end up causing you pain. Hanging on to people usually causes us pain, it's why we cut off ties with everyone but each other" I shrugged in reply and Sam sighed.

"Yeah, look it sucks, but in a job like this you can't get close to anyone" Dean stated and I nodded in agreement as Sam huffed a laugh.

"You two are kinda antisocial you know that?" he asked and I grinned.

"That's why I have my boys" I grinned and Sam rolled his eyes at me as Dean snorted a laugh, finishing in filling up the tank before disappearing inside to settle the cost before returning with a few coffees, which he handed three of them to me, while handing one to Sam and keeping one for himself. I smiled gratefully.

"God…" Sam exclaimed in a whisper and I frowned.

"What?" I questioned and he sighed, before slouching in his seat.

"In this email from Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine" Sam began and Dean grinned.

"Is she hot?" he asked and I glared at him while Sam ignored him and Dean frowned at me as I turned to Sam, leaning over so that I hovered over his shoulder, making it easier for me to look at him as I turned my head.

"I went to school with her and her brother Zack. She emailed me and said Zack's been arrested for murder, for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but apparently the cops have a pretty good case" he sighed and I frowned at Dean.

"Sam, who the hell were you hanging out with at college?" I exclaimed and Sam turned to look at me before flinching back since I was really close to him. He sighed and shook his head.

"No Als, I know Zack. He's no killer" Sam sighed and I frowned in reply.

"Well maybe you know Zack just like he knows you" Dean said and I sighed before sitting back on my chair, but on the edge this time.

"They're in St. Louis. We're going" Sam stated and Dean chuckled slightly before shaking his head.

"Look, I'm sorry about your buddy, but this doesn't sound like our kind of problem" Dean shrugged and Sam huffed a sigh.

"It is our problem. They're my friends" Sam stated firmly and Dean shook his head.

"Look, St Louis is four hundred miles behind us. We're not going" Dean replied and I watched as they stared each other down before Dean groaned and shook his head, walking around to the driver's side and climbing in before turning the engine on and driving out of the gas station, heading back the way we'd just come.

"The things I do for you" Dean grumbled and I could tell that he was annoyed with having to drive all the way back but of course he loved Sam and he would do anything for his brother. I smiled at Dean's head and he narrowed his eyes at my smile in the rear-view so I winked at him which made him roll his eyes.

We pulled up to a large white house, that I would say looked a little like a mansion, but any house looked massive to me, purely because I hadn't lived in an actual house in over twelve years. Sam climbed out of the car and hurried up to the door with Dean and me trailing after him, where Sam stopped in front of the door and knocked. The door swung inwards soon after, revealing a lean, pretty blonde, about the same age as Sam and I saw that Dean looked impressed so I rolled my eyes and hit his arm.

"Dude really?" I hissed quietly.

"Sam!" the woman exclaimed, sounding happy to see him.

"What?" Dean asked and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Well if it isn't little Becky" Sam replied jokingly and the woman scoffed.

"You know what you can do with that little Becky crap?" she replied before hugging him and Dean grinned at me, wiggling his eyebrows so I slapped him over the head.

"Jeez woman, quit abusing me" he hissed loudly and I grinned at him, before laughing at his annoyed expression. Sam and Becky pulled away before she focused on us and I turned to Sam, hiding my smile at Dean's annoyed expression which caused Sam to snort and shake his head at me before turning back to Becky.

"I got your email" Sam stated and Becky frowned before smiling.

"I didn't think you would actually come here" she replied as Dean stepped forwards and outstretched his hand which Becky took.

"Dean, older brother" he introduced himself and she smiled before shaking his hand and nodding.

"Hi, I'm Ali, the guys' babysitter" I joked and they turned to glare at me which made Becky smile.

"Well Sam, I didn't figure you for the type to need babysitting" she said and I grinned, before wrapping my arm around his neck, which made him stoop a little since he was tall.

"You'd be surprised at the little things Sam doesn't tell you" I said and he elbowed me in the side roughly.

"We're here to help. Whatever we can do" Sam said and I nodded with him, removing my arm from his neck since I hadn't realised that I was still awkwardly holding him.

"Thanks, come inside" she said leading us inside, allowing Sam to shot me a look that she didn't see. I could tell he was a little annoyed about my comment but I shrugged in response.

"Nice place" Dean and I said at the same time which made Sam snort.

"Thanks, it's actually my parents' I was crashing here for the long weekend but I've decided to take the semester off, or until Zack's free" she replied and I nodded in reply, letting myself look at every little part. My first impressions were right though, because the place was spacious and felt homey but also slightly trophy like, though that could just be because they had nice things on display.

"Where are your folks?" Sam asked as Becky led us into the house a little further.

"They live in Paris for half the year, but they're on their way home for the trial" she explained, before walking into the kitchen, with us trailing after her.

"You guys want a beer or something?" she offered and Dean grinned.

"Hey-" he said, obviously happy to take up that offer.

"No thanks, we're fine. So tell us what happened?" Sam replied and we frowned at him, but he was focused on Becky who sighed at the question.

"Well, um, Zack came home and he found Emily tied to a chair, she was beaten and wasn't breathing-" she began, swallowing a sob, "-so he called 911 and the police showed up and arrested him. But the only way he could've killed Emily was if he was in two places at once. The police they… they have the footage from the camera across the street it shows Zack coming home at ten thirty. But I swear he was here with me, having a couple of beers until at least after midnight" Becky said and I looked at Dean where we both frowned. I felt a sudden urge to walk around the house and trail my fingers along everything, though first of all that was stupid and would probably freak Sam's friend out and secondly that wouldn't help with what was happening here since Zack didn't kill his girlfriend in this house.

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene? Zack's house" Sam said and I frowned at him.

"We could?" Dean and I asked and Sam turned to frown at us as Dean frowned at me.

"That is getting real freaky now guys" Sam said and Dean nodded in agreement but I looked at Becky who was frowning at us.

"Why? I mean, what could you guys do?" she asked and Sam shrugged.

"Well us? Nothing, but Dean? Dean's a cop" he replied and I bit my bottom lip painfully to keep myself from smiling or laughing out loud since this was Sam's way of persuading Becky to let us in, since she knew him and knew he wasn't a detective or something. Becky turned to Dean who was glaring at Sam.

"You are?" she questioned and Dean sent her a sideways smile, which I knew was his unsure smile, but he probably seemed confident to her since she didn't know him.

"Detective actually" he replied, shooting Sam a look as Beck smile faintly.

"Really? Where?" she replied and Dean frowned the slightest bit.

"Bisbee, Arizona. But I'm off duty now" he replied and I looked down at the surface of the counter as my smile spread onto my face. He'd said that because that was the first place he thought of, simply because that's where we had been heading before Sam received Becky's email.

"You guys, that's so nice to offer, but I don't know-" she trailed off and I could feel her conflict. On one hand she wanted to do whatever she could to prove her brother's innocence because she knew he was innocent. She was telling the truth when she said he was with her until at least after midnight. But on the other hand she hadn't expected Sam to come here and felt bad about taking the help offered, even though she needed it.

"Bec, I know Zack didn't do this. Now we need to find a way to prove his innocence" Sam said and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Okay, I'm gonna go and get the keys" she nodded, before walking out of the kitchen and disappearing down the hall as Dean walked around the counter to face Sam, letting lose a small whistle and shaking his head.

"Oh yeah man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends" Dean said, sighing and shaking his head.

"Look man, Zack and Becky need our help" Sam stated and I bit my lip in reply, shifting my weight slightly as the longer Becky was gone, the more nervous I became about going to Zack's house. I don't know why, but I had a strange feeling about this and I knew it was one of those feelings I got, simply by how my stomach muscles were starting to tighten and how I became a little warmer.

"I just don't think this is our kind of problem" Dean stated.

"Two places at once? We've looked into a lot less" Sam pointed out and he was right but even so I nodded my head and Dean sighed in reply, defeated because he knew Sam had a point before he frowned at me my nodding head. It was one of my feelings, I knew that something supernatural was happening here, I could feel the energy it had left behind and it didn't feel completely human, partly human but not fully like Dean or Sam or Becky.

Becky soon returned and motioned for us to follow her, so we walked out of the house, Becky locking up behind us as the boys and I walked to the Impala, the three of us climbing in and me sliding over to make room for Becky, who climbed in soon after. Dean started the car and drove in the direction that Becky pointed him in, and it didn't take long for us to pull up in front of the scene of the crime. Zack's house looked pleasant enough.

"Are you sure about this?" Becky asked Dean as we all climbed out of the car and slammed the doors shut after ourselves. Dean glanced at her and nodded.

"Of course, after all I am an officer of the law" he replied and I smirked at his reply but then frowned at how different his accent sounded for a second while saying that. Becky nodded and I glanced at Sam who smiled and shrugged in response before we made our way to the house, Becky inserting the key and unlocking the door where Dean, Sam and I walked in. Dean and I walked further in as Sam paused by the door.

"Bec, you wanna wait outside?" Sam asked and I turned to see that she had hesitated on the porch steps, but she shook her head.

"No, I wanna help" she replied and I smiled as she ducked underneath the police tape. I liked her stubbornness, being stubborn helped.

I swallowed and bit my lip, before wrapping my arms around myself to cover my shiver but it didn't work very well. I stepped further inside, into the living area and grimaced at the amount of blood on the furniture and splattered across photo frames and creating stains on the floor.

"Tell us what the police said" Sam urged kindly and I turned to see that his friend looked a little freaked out at all of the blood, but it was stomach churning if you weren't used to this sort of thing like the boys and I were. The blood was smeared on the walls.

"Well they said that there's no sign of a break in. Emily must have let her attacker in and the lawyers… they're already talking about a plea bargain" Becky replied, sounding shaky and tearful. Plea bargain? Though Sam looked as though knew what the term was, which I would be worried if he didn't since he'd been at law school for the last four years. I always thought that Sam would make a good lawyer. He'd mentioned it to me about a year before he went, asking my opinion, since for some reason the guys thought highly of my opinions, and I told him that I could see him being a good lawyer. I still could see that, but I couldn't see him going back to school anytime soon until we'd tracked their dad and this thing down and dealt with it.

"Oh god" she whispered, horrified and I sent her a sympathetic smile before I walked around the room, letting my hands hover over some of the photos. I didn't want to touch them because otherwise I would leave fingerprints behind and get blood on my hands and I didn't want to plant false evidence. I shuddered and swallowed around the lump in my throat as my stomach started churning rapidly out of fear and nervousness. Whoever had hurt Zack's girlfriend had been vicious in how he'd cut her up, the blood was signs of that. What I didn't understand though, was the fact that simply by waving my hands over the photos, I could pick up strong emotions, either connected to the photos, or the memories that the photo had captured, and I sensed that Zack and Emily cared deeply for each other and loved each other a lot too. I couldn't imagine Zack doing this to her, he loved her too much to hurt her in any way possible. He was a sweetheart really. I gasped and stumbled back a step, away from the photos and dropping my arms to my side as my heart rate quickened and pumped harshly against my ribcage. I could feel the adrenaline running through my body, but I didn't know why, and I could feel remnants of fear in my body. I'd never done that before! I'd never picked up on emotions in that way! First I connected with Sam in his dream, now I'm picking up on stale emotions, when usually I sensed something if the person was in the room with me.

"Ali?" Dean questioned and I swallowed before looking up and shaking my head at him, frowning instead and walking away.

"He didn't do this" I stated and Dean frowned at me but I ignored him, instead going to find Sam and Becky.

"If Zack didn't do this, then it means someone else did. Can you think of anything?" he asked her and she shook her head before she frowned as something crossed her mind.

"Well there was one thing, about a week before, someone broke in and stole some of Zack's clothes. The police didn't think there was a connection, I mean we're not far from downtown and sometimes people get robbed" Becky stated and Sam nodded and I frowned at the barking that was coming from outside. I saw Dean move to the open front door and look out at the dog next door.

"That used to be the sweetest dog" came Becky's faint voice.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"I don't know… he just changed" she replied and I frowned at them.

"Do you know when?"

"I guess around the time of the murder" Becky shrugged and Dean frowned before nodding and I walked over to where Sam was standing in the hallway, looking at a framed photo that was placed on the surface of a table. I saw that it was Becky, Sam and another guy who was dark haired with facial hair. I was guessing this was Zack.

"You seemed close?" I asked and he started at the sound of my voice before looking at me and shrugging in reply.

"Yeah, I have some good friends in Stanford" he replied and I frowned before sighing.

"Maybe you'll see them again at some point? When all this is over for you" I hoped and Sam smiled sadly at me before shrugging.

"Yeah, hopefully" he replied and I looked back at his smiling face in the photo.

"So, apparently the neighbour's dog went psycho around the time of the murder" Dean said as he approached us and we looked up at him.

"Animals have a keen sense of the paranormal" Sam stated Dean nodded.

"So, maybe Fido saw something?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Maybe, it's possible" I said, but I was positive that was exactly what had happened. The dog suddenly becoming noisy and seemingly aggressive would make sense if it had seen something, but there was still something off with the whole break in and some of Zack's clothes being stolen. Why would clothes be taken? They weren't exactly anything sentimental that could be used against him…unless he was particular about certain clothes? But I wasn't sure and it was giving me a slight headache now.

"So you think something's going on?" Sam asked and Dean snorted before shaking his head.

"No, probably not, but we should probably take a look at the cameras just to make sure" he replied and Sam nodded.

"Yeah" he said.

"Yeah" Dean mimicked and I smiled at the fact that he knew something was going on here, but he didn't want to admit to Sam that he was wrong. Dean was too proud for his own good most of the time, but then again I was the same I guess.

"So the tape. The security footage… any chance your lawyers could get their hands on it 'cause I just don't have that sort of jurisdiction" Dean said and Becky looked a little guilty as she flashed us a sheepish smile.

"Well… I already have it" she said and I snorted in response before giving her a grin. "-I stole it off the lawyer's desk, I just had to see for myself but didn't want to say anything in front of a cop" she said and Dean laughed a little.

"Alright" he replied and Sam nodded in reply as I looked back over my shoulder at the blood stained living room before we headed outside and climbed in the car to go back the Becky's house where we would be able to watch the tape.

It didn't take long to return back to Becky's parents' house and we walked inside before heading to the living room, where Becky inserted the tape. Sam sat on the arm of the couch and I positioned myself next to him but sat on the couch cushions, with Dean on the other arm and Becky next to me.

"Here he comes" she stated, nodding at the screen where we saw her brother approach the house.

"Ten oh-four, that's just after ten. You said time of death was about ten thirty?" Dean asked and Becky glanced at him before nodding but I focused my gaze on the security tapes which were playing.

"Yeah, our lawyers hired some sort of tape expert and he says that it's authentic, it hasn't been tampered with" she said, needing to tell us that. I saw Sam frown out of the corner of my eye and I glanced at him.

"Hey Bec, could we get those beers now?" he asked and she looked at him before blinking and standing up.

"Yeah sure" she replied, before walking to the doorway.

"Hey?" Sam called and she looked back, "-maybe some sandwiches too?" he asked, giving her a cheeky smile and she rolled her eyes.

"What do you think this is, Hooters?" she questioned before disappearing out to the kitchen.

"I wish" Dean snorted before getting up and walking over to Sam's other side, "-alright what did you see?" he asked and Sam rewound the tape.

"Check this out" he stated, as the tape rewound to Zack approaching where Sam paused it and showed a frame of Zack glancing at the camera, his eyes a silver-white colour.

"Maybe it's just a camera flare?" Dean questioned and I bit my lip, but felt that it wasn't a camera flare.

"That's not any camera flare I've ever seen" I sighed and Sam nodded in agreement before he frowned.

"You know, some cultures say that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul" Sam said and I smiled.

"Is that why some myths say that vampires don't show up on film? Because they apparently have no soul?" I asked and Sam grinned down at me before nodding.

"Exactly" he replied as Dean frowned.

"Right" he said, obviously thinking over what Sam had said.

"Remember that dog that was freakin' out? Maybe he saw this? A sort of dark double of Zack's" Sam said and I frowned.

"Like a doppelganger?" Dean and I asked and Sam frowned at us before shaking his head at us.

"Yeah it'd sure explain how he was two places at once" Sam stated and I nodded in reply.

"Okay so what now?" I asked and the boys shrugged at me.

"We get some rest and dig deeper tomorrow" Sam suggested and Dean nodded in reply as Becky returned with four beers for us and herself, where she handed one to us.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" she asked me and the boys snorted in response as I frowned and took the drink off her.

"I'm not a young as I look" I sighed and Sam snorted.

"Yeah, you're still not old enough to drink, that's why Dean or I buy the beers when we go into bars" he stated and I rolled my eyes before shrugging as Dean grinned at me.

"But you're so cute" he said, bending to pinch my cheeks and I slapped his hands away.

"Dude, you grab my cheeks and I'll twist your balls. Whether we're close or not" I threatened and he winced before taking a step away from me and holding his hands up innocently.

"Okay, easy there little girl" he said and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Well I'm not the only 'little' thing here" I said, using air quotes on the 'little' and both Sam and Becky snorted a laugh as Dean glared.

"Dude, back to this again?" he asked and I shrugged, a smile on my lips as I took a gulp of the beer.

"So, you guys aren't actually related are you?" Becky asked and I smiled but shook my head at her.

"No, I would've killed them if we were related" I shrugged and Dean plopped himself down on the arm again.

"You and Dean are practically related though" Sam pointed out and I shrugged in response, bringing the bottle to my lips and taking a swig again.

"What about you two?" Becky asked, looking between me and Sam, who was sitting behind me when I turned in her direction. I shrugged.

"We live complicated lives" I began and Dean snorted, before frowning at Sam who was probably glaring at him.

"I grew up with Sam and Dean. We saw each other quite often, but when I lost my family I stayed with the boys. Before that we were just good friends, but Dean took care of me so he became a brother to me, whereas Sam just remained my best friend" I shrugged and Becky smile slightly.

"That is a little weird" she pointed out and I smiled slightly.

"Well we are a weird threesome" I stated and she smiled as I finished off the beer.

"Jesus Als!" Sam exclaimed and I turned to look at him to see he still had half of his bottle left.

"Wow, you're getting slow there Sammy" I said and Becky laughed.

"Sammy?" she questioned and he groaned.

"Don't start Bec, I get enough of that from these two goofballs" he sighed and I grinned before getting to my feet and stretching.

"You love us really Sammy" Dean and I stated at the same time again and Becky frowned at us.

"That is getting to be really weird" she said and Sam snorted in agreement.

"Do you know anywhere we can crash for the night? A cheap motel or something?" Dean asked and Becky frowned before shrugging.

"You're welcome to stay here the night, save you spending unnecessary money" she said and I glanced at Dean who shrugged as Sam smiled.

"That'd be great, as long as you don't mind?" he asked and she smiled.

"If I minded then I wouldn't have offered" she said and I nodded slightly. She had a point there.

"Thank you Becky" I smiled and she nodded in response.

This would be a long night. There was no way I was sleeping properly in fear of waking up screaming from a nightmare or something. Plus I wouldn't have Sam with me, it would look weird if we shared a bed, especially since Becky must've known Sam's girlfriend.

"Alright so what are we doing here at five-thirty in the morning?" Dean asked as we leant against the hood of the car sipping coffee. We had arrived at Zack's house since Sam had woken him up early this morning and said we needed to go to Zack's to look around. Dean hadn't been impressed so Sam and I had both dragged him off the bed, making him land with a loud bang on the floor and for Becky to come running into the room, where we all apologised for waking her up but she laughed at Dean's expression where he had landed in a mess on the floor.

"I thought of something, the tape shows the killer goin' in but not comin' out" Sam stated and I frowned as I realised he had a point. We'd watched the tape a few more times before going to bed last night, looking for any other clues that might be there, but we'd found nothing else, other than the lookalike's eyes.

"So, he went out through the back door?" Dean asked and Sam nodded in reply.

"Right, so there should be a trail to follow. A trail the police wouldn't look for" Sam replied and I nodded.

"Yeah, because as far as the police are concerned they caught the killer, your friend Zack" I said and Sam nodded but Dean huffed.

"Still don't know what we're doing here at five-thirty in the morning" he grumbled and I grinned at him as Sam walked over to the side of the house, showing no sign that he'd heard Dean's comment before he stopped next to a pole and nodded at it.

"Blood. Someone came this way" he stated and I frowned in reply, scanning the area around me.

"Well the trail ends there, because there's nothing here" Dean stated and at that point an ambulance drove passed us, where we all looked at each other as it disappeared further down the street before I shrugged and pushed myself off the hood to walk after the ambulance.

We approached the house, which looked nice, and large and possibly belonged to people with money. There was an Asian main in handcuffs, being pushed into the back of a police car by an officer.

"What happened?" Dean asked the woman in running gear next to him. She frowned, watching the scene play out in front of her.

"He killed his wife. Tied her up and beat her" she stated and Sam frowned at me before focusing on the woman.

"Really?" he asked, sounding a little shocked. She nodded in response.

"I used to go passed every morning and watch him go to work. He would wave and say hello. He just seemed like such a nice guy" she sighed and we watched as the police car drove the man away before the police started ushering all of us bystanders away from the scene.

"I'll go and see what I can dig up, you guys search around and see if you can find any trails" Dean said and we nodded before Sam and I walked down the alley at the side of the house and Dean wandered off elsewhere.

Sam was looking through the large, blue garbage cans at the side of the house and I was scanning walls, fences and any poles to see if there were signs of blood like there had been at Zack's house, but I hadn't found anything yet. Sam looked at me and I looked back before shrugging and shaking my head, where we walked towards the front of the house, scanning the area for clues to check that we hadn't missed anything.

"Hey?" Dean asked from behind us and I turned around to face him, Sam doing the same.

"Remember when I said this isn't our kind of problem?" he asked and Sam and I nodded.

"Yeah" Sam replied and I frowned curiously, wondering why Dean was saying this, unless he'd finally realised it was our sort of thing.

"Definitely our kind of problem" he stated.

"What makes you say that?" Sam asked and Dean sighed.

"Well, I spoke to the patrolman who was first on the scene and heard this guy, Alex's story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked" Dean said and I frowned.

"So, he was two places at once?" I questioned, just to make sure and Dean nodded in reply.

"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house, police thinks he's a nutjob" Dean stated and I sighed.

"So two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way" Sam said.

"Could be the same thing doin' it too" Dean stated and I frowned at him.

"What? Like a shapeshifter?" I questioned and he shrugged before nodding.

"Or at least something that can make itself look like anyone" Sam added on the end of my sentence and I nodded along with him.

"Every culture in the world has their shapeshifter lore. Legends of creatures that can transform themselves into other animals or men" Dean stated and I nodded.

"Like skinwalkers, werewolves" Sam used as examples and Dean nodded.

"Two attacks within a few blocks of each other, looks like we have a shapeshifter problem" I sighed and the boys nodded before Sam frowned.

"In all this lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked and Dean shook his head.

"No, not that I've ever heard of" he stated and Sam sighed.

"I picked up a trail here. Somebody ran out of the back of the building and went this way" Sam began.

"Just like at your friend Zack's house" Dean said and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, and just like at Zack's house, the trail just ends. Whatever it was, it just disappeared" Sam said and I sighed before frowning.

"Well there's another way to go" I stated, adding a shrug to my sentence and the boys frowned at me.

"There's down" I stated and we all looked down at the floor, before noticing a manhole a little way off. Yeah, we always get the shitty jobs! I sighed and grimaced at Dean who smiled before shrugging.

"Then, let's go down and check it out" he stated.

I held my breath as I climbed down the ladder leading into the sewers. Sam and Dean had already climbed down and were waiting for me at the bottom and I was glad when I stepped off ladder and my foot touched the hard floor.

"I bet this runs right by Zack's house too. The shapeshifter could be using the sewer system to get around" Sam stated and I turned around to see that he was observing the area while Dean was looking at something a little further down the tunnel, so we walked up to join him. The smell wasn't as bad down here as what I was expecting.

"I think you're right. Hey check this out" Dean replied, before crouching down next to something, where Sam crouched next to him.

"Is this from his victims?" Sam questioned and I walked over to see that Dean had lifted something out of a pile of blood of what looked like skin.

"You know I just had a sick thought. When the shapeshifter changes form… what if it sheds?" Dean said and I cringed at the thought, looking at the goo hanging off the end of Dean's pen.

"That is sick" Sam said, the disgust evident in his voice as Dean dropped the goo back onto the pile before both boys straightened up and turned to look at me, nodding back the way we had just come and I sighed at the fact that I would have to climb that ladder again, which was slick with rainwater and who knows what else from down here. I walked back over to the ladder and started to climb, Sam and Dean following right behind me, where I emerged and took a deep breath of the fresh air before sliding out of the hole, standing next to the hole where I waited in case Sam or Dean needed a hand, not that they would.

When they had both appeared out of the manhole, Dean led the both of us over to the Impala, where he headed straight for the arsenal and took a gun out, rummaging around for bullets.

"If there's one thing that I remember from dad, it's that there is one sure way to kill a shifter, no matter what type it is" Dean said, inserting a few bullets into the gun and clicking them into place.

"Silver bullet to the heart" Sam and I said at the same time before grinning at each other.

"That's right" Dean said before frowning me.

"Okay, you really need to stop doing that" he stated and I stuck my tongue out at him just as Sam's phone rang and he answered it.

"This is Sam" he stated in a way of 'hello'.

"We're near Zack's just checking a couple of things out" Sam said before frowning.

"What are you talking about?" he asked and I frowned at him, before he scoffed at whoever was on the other line, looking a little annoyed.

"Why would you do that?" he asked and I cocked my head to the side, but couldn't identify the voice on the other end.

"Bec-" Sam began and I realised that it had been Becky on the other end of the line, but she quickly cut him off.

"We're just tryin' to help" he stated and I frowned, getting a bad vibe that suggested she wasn't too happy with us at the moment.

"Bec I'm sorry but-" Sam said, but was obviously cut off by his friend who must've ended the call from the look of disappointment on his face.

"I hate to break it to you man, but this is exactly what I meant" Dean shrugged as he walked closer to Sam. I glared at my brother.

"Now is not time for one of you 'I told you so' moments Dean" I sighed, aware that Sam was a little frustrated with this. This could've ruined his friendship with Becky. Dean glared but chose to ignore me, instead focusing back on Sam who frowned at the two of us.

"You lie to your friends, because if you told them the truth they would be freaked out. It would be easier if-"

"If I was like you" Sam cut in and I sighed as Dean shrugged.

"Hey man, like it or not, we are not like other people, but this gig… this job, it ain't without perks" Dean stated, handing a gun to Sam who took it off him and lifted his shirt up to place it in the waistband of his jeans, giving me a glance of his white boxers. I blinked and turned away, my cheeks heating at the ideas that suddenly rushed into my head. Things that I shouldn't be thinking about anyone, especially Sam. I rolled my eyes at them and shoved my gun into the strap on the inside of my boots since I had the strap in there for when I wore skinnies. I couldn't exactly fit a gun beneath skinny jeans and take it out easily.

I started after the boys where it became clear that we were heading back into the sewer, hopefully to catch this thing and gank it, but my cheeks were still warm and I was annoyed with myself for thinking such weird things about Sam. I'd never thought like that before, and I never thought that way about Dean, though that would be gross since he was practically my brother.

We arrived at the manhole again and started climbing down, where the three of us got out our flashlights and guns. I balanced my hand holding the gun, on my arm holding the flashlight, and saw the boys do the same as we walked down the tunnel.

"Well I think we're getting closer to its lair" Dean stated.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked and Dean snorted.

"Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face" Dean stated and Sam looked to his right, before backing away from the pipe, which contained the pile of goo and turning his nose up at the sight.

"Oh god" he gasped in disgust. I knew how he felt, it was gross. Give me jobs with severed limbs any day! I glanced around and grimaced again.

"Looks like it's lived here a while" I stated, swinging my flashlight in the direction of a pile of clothes, with more skin and blood.

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Sam said and I nodded in agreement before he turned around and looked at us wide eyed.

"Als!" he said and I frowned before turning around, seeing the shapeshifter there. I ducked as it sent out a punch and knocked Dean backwards so I swung out with my flashlight, hitting the shapeshifter, which was in the guise of the Asian man who got arrested this morning, and hitting him in the side of the head. He punched out again and caught me on my jawline, sending me stumbling back a few steps where Sam then started firing his gun after the shapeshifter, but he ran off, the bullets clipping walls and the sides of the pipes instead.

"Dean?" I asked, and he groaned, gripping his shoulder before nodding after the creature.

"Get the son of a bitch" he said and I ran back the way we had come, before finding the ladder and pulling myself up, where I rolled off the platform it was set on and landed on my feet, looking around and rubbing my jaw as I did so. That was going to bruise, but there was no sign of the shapeshifter.

Sam and Dean pulled themselves out of the manhole just seconds after and I shook my head at them.

"Damn" Dean said before I sighed.

"We should split up" I suggested and they nodded.

"Aright, we'll meet around the other side" Dean said and Sam and I nodded before we split up, walking in different directions.

I took the back roads, where people hung around cars and I could tell that these people were doing some sort of drug dealings. Every town had its back roads that people were smart enough to avoid. But I wasn't smart and the shapeshifter was supernatural and could probably take care of itself but I wasn't sure how strong it was. I saw some of the guys looking at me so I took my gun out of my boot, just so they knew not to approach me, but if anything I only drew more attention to myself so I hurried off down an alley to emerge in the middle of town.

"Shit" I whispered before stuffing my gun back into the strap inside my boot and walked around, keeping my eyes peeled, but for all I knew, he could've changed shape by now. I kept watch, making sure to scan everyone, even if they wouldn't appear suspicious at first glance, but I came up with nothing. No sudden changes of eye colour and no weird feelings that anyone was giving off, so I sighed and made my way to the rendezvous point to see Sam and Dean already heading off. It was nice of them to wait for me.

"Hey!" I called, gaining their attention and waved my arms in annoyance at them, where they then waited for me to catch up so I kicked up into a light jog to get to them quicker.

"I'm guessing you didn't find anything?" I guessed and they both shook their heads at me.

"I'm guessing you didn't find anything either?" Sam asked and I shook my head in reply before he nodded and we walked back to where we'd parked the car.

"You think it found another way underground?" Sam asked and I shrugged.

"Yeah maybe" Dean replied and I frowned at him. He seemed a little off. Was he annoyed that we hadn't gotten the shapeshifter yet? Because we would get it, that I did know. But even so, he didn't feel right, his energy didn't feel right.

"Hey, didn't dad face a shifter in San Antonio?" Sam asked, after he thought for a while and Dean focused on him before shaking his head.

"That was, uh Austin. And it turned out not to be a shifter but a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?" he asked and Sam nodded slowly.

"Oh yeah" he said and I frowned at him, already able to feel that Sam was aware something was off before shaking his head.

"Here ya go" he said, throwing the keys to Dean, where he then walked around to the front of the car, but I frowned at Dean, he'd been clutching that shoulder when we raced out of the sewer. I was sure of it.

Dean let lose a little laugh after opening the trunk, and for some reason I felt that he was impressed with the arsenal, which made no sense of course since Dean had rummaged around in the arsenal plenty of times before. Sam rounded the car, his gun in his hand and I frowned at him.

"Don't move" he instructed and Dean looked up from the arsenal in the trunk before frowning at the fact that Sam was pointing a gun at him.

"What have you done with him?" Sam asked, sounding confused but sure. Dean frowned at him, but I was beginning to realise for myself that this definitely wasn't Dean so I removed my gun from my boot.

"Dude, chill, it's me" he said and Sam frowned before shaking his head.

"I don't think so. Now what have you done with my brother?" he asked and the shapeshifter frowned before pointing at the gun that Sam had on him.

"You're about to shoot him. Sam, calm down" he said and I frowned before stepping up to Sam's other side, pointing my gun at him too.

"I don't think so. You caught those keys with your left hand. Your shoulder was hurt" I stated and he frowned at me.

"Not you too Ali" he sighed and I shifted my weight to my left foot, since it was more comfortable. He sighed and shook his head.

"My shoulder's better now, what do you want me to do? Cry?" he replied and I snorted. Dean would say something like that, but I knew him well enough to know that he would make some sort of perverted comment about me kissing it better. This was not Dean and I was sure of that.

"You're not my brother" Sam stated, though he didn't sound too sure.

"Why don't you pull the trigger then? Hmm? Because you're not sure, dude you know me" the shapeshifter said and I snorted, before taking a step forwards.

"Exactly you're not him" I stated and the lookalike threw his hands up in the air before taking a step forwards, so I took one back.

"Don't" I warned and the lookalike smirked.

"What you gonna do then Ali? Strangle me with a bra?" it asked and I pointed the gun to the floor, before squeezing the trigger and the lookalike jumped back, looking surprised.

"You really hate me that much?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Yeah. Because you are not my brother. Move again and I'll shoot you elsewhere" I said, but Sam was tense beside me. He wasn't sure anymore but I couldn't be more positive. The only problem was that we weren't sure where Dean was or if he was even still…alive, though I was sure that if he was dead I would've felt it. Right? And if it wasn't for that I would've shot this son of a bitch already. The shapeshifter sighed and gave in, before lashing out and punching Sam over the face before whipping his arm wide but I ducked, accidentally dropping my gun as I rolled out of the way of his hand and then his foot.

"Bitch" he hissed and I rolled to my feet, kicking the gun underneath the car so that he couldn't get it.

"Come at me" I smirked, gesturing for him and he grunted before running towards me, where I blocked his advances, impressed with myself but then again this wasn't my brother so I stood more of a chance at not getting my ass kicked. He shifted his weight and I guessed he was going for a roundhouse kick to my stomach but it was too late to change my stance as he suddenly changed his position and kicked my ribs, making me gasp painfully before he slammed his fist into my temple. I was out before I hit the floor.

I groaned, blinking my eyes open and wincing at the pain in my head before glancing around the room. I didn't recognise the place but wherever we were it was dingy and dark, with light streaming in from different places, just enough to light the room up. I was tied to one of three poles, that I could see, and the area smelt of mould and damp. It wasn't pleasant. I heard a groan from somewhere behind me.

"Where is he?" came Sam's voice and judging from my awareness he was behind me, but not too far away. He sounded aware and alert, so maybe he'd been awake a little longer than me.

"I swear the more I learn about your family… I thought I was from a bad background" the shapeshifter said, still disguised as Dean because he sounded like my brother but wasn't him.

"What do you mean learn?" Sam asked and I frowned in reply.

"He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home… I mean me. I had to stay home, with dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? Where the hell were you?" the shifter asked and I frowned at this. Was the shifter downloading Dean's thought processes? It wouldn't surprise me because I swore a few weeks ago, not long after Sam returned that Dean was a little jealous of the fact that Sam got to go to college while he had to stay in the Hunting business with their father. But I thought I'd imagined it? Though it looked like I hadn't.

"Where is my brother?" Sam asked, clearly and calmly, though I could sense the underlying anger in his voice. I started twisting the ropes since Sam was keeping the shapeshifter occupied and he had no idea that I was awake yet. I started wriggling the rope against the pole, hoping there was a sharp piece of wood or nail or something sticking out that I could cut the rope on.

"I am your brother" he began and I frowned, this shapeshifter was giving Sam and I a better look into what Dean really thought, and for the moment I was going to take advantage of that, wherever Dean was he was alive.

"See, deep down I'm just jealous. You got to go to college and have friends, but me? I know I'm a freak, and sooner or later everyone's gonna leave me" the shifter said and I detected a note of sadness, but why would he be sad? Unless he was feeling what Dean was feeling too? Okay now this is getting incredibly freaky.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asked, now completely confused as to why the shapeshifter would be saying this.

"You left. Hell dad ditched me to and I did everything he ever asked me to. Left without a word, no explanation or anything just poof, left me with your sorry ass. Sooner or later Ali will leave me to, she'll realise that this isn't the life for her and that she can do better, be better and I'll be all alone. Still this life? It isn't without it's perks" he said and I frowned at this, but shivered at how eerie his voice sounded when he began to chuckle.

"Like little Becky. You know Dean would bang her if he had the chance" I rolled my eyes at this since it wasn't surprising. She was a pretty woman and that was Dean's type, pretty women and I always thought he had a thing for blondes.

"So let's see what happens" the shapeshifter said and I heard the sound of material flapping before footsteps. I stopped trying the cut the rope and closed my eyes, acting as though I was still unconscious as the shapeshifter walked over to me and I fought so hard against the temptation to spit in his face or kick my feet out, but since I was the one tied up so that wouldn't do me any good. Heck he would probably hit me and knock me unconscious again.

The footsteps stopped near me briefly before I heard the shapeshifter snort and walk off, until I could no longer hear his footsteps. I opened my eyes again and began franticly working at the ropes.

"Sammy?" I called out and heard him sigh.

"Als, thank god, you're awake" he said and I laughed a little.

"Yeah, I've been awake for a while. That shapeshifter is a complete nutcase" I stated and heard Sam snort in agreement, before I heard him huffing and grunting quietly probably trying to undo his ropes, just like I was. Damn, I really needed to start carrying a pocket knife on me or something.

"Damn it" I heard Sam grunt before someone started coughing. I groaned, moving so that I could look at the area on my left and made out a white sheet.

"That better be you Sam and not that freak of nature" he said and I grinned happily. This was my brother! Sam chuckled a little.

"Yeah it's me" Sam stated as the sheet started moving, before it dropped, to reveal Dean and I sighed in relief, before turning back to work on my ropes again.

"He went to Rebecca's, lookin' like you" Sam stated and Dean snorted.

"Well he's smart. He picked the handsome one" he joked and I laughed quietly to myself as I could picture Sam either sending Dean an evil glare or being confused.

"Hopefully Ali can get us out of this" Dean sighed and I snorted a laugh.

"Well if your ropes are tight like mine, then you will know that I won't be doing that just yet" I stated and Dean groaned.

"He got you too?" he asked and I sighed.

"Yes Dean, he landed a temple blow" I stated and Dean made an 'ouch' noise which was fitting since I'd had a throbbing headache ever since I woke up. I continued working at my ropes, sawing them along the pole, though knowing my bad luck I was probably just grating the pole, so I decided to try and slide my wrists and hands out of the knots, but if this guy had Dean's knowledge, then he would know how to tie a perfectly tight knot.

"That's the thing though Dean, he doesn't just look like you" I said, feeling the need to voice this.

"Huh?" he asked in confusion.

"Yeah that's the thing, he was you, or becoming you anyway" Sam said.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories" Sam said and I hummed as I realised it.

"What, like the Vulcan mind meld?" Dean asked and I snorted, trust him to make some sort of weird reference like that.

"Yeah, something like that" Sam replied.

"That's why he goes after the women. He poses as the boyfriend, husband or whatever and kills the wife, but doesn't go near the man because he needs them alive in order to have their memories" I stated and Sam sighed.

"Yeah that's what I was going to say" he said and I snorted a laugh and breathed a sigh of relief as my hands were freed and I saw Dean had done the same with his hands. I rubbed my wrists as I got to my feet, wincing at the fact that my wrists were red raw, with skin taken off due to the ropes rubbing against my skin.

"Hands. Come on, we need to go, he's probably at Rebecca's already" Sam stated as Dean untied his hands since Sam had been unable to do it himself.

Dean helped his brother to his feet and I walked around before finding a window, which was positioned above a table, so I climbed onto the table and pushed against the window which luckily was unlatched. I turned to look at the boys and saw that they were standing on the floor, before Dean nodded and I found a foothold in the wall, so I placed my foot in that, using it to give myself a boost where I slid through the opening in the window and slid out onto a patch of grass next to the window. Dean soon followed after me, with Sam behind him and I dusted the dirt off my shirt before we started walking down the alley.

"Come on, we gotta find a phone, call the police" Sam stated and Dean shot a look at his brother.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you want to put an APB out on me?" he asked in disbelief. Sam shrugged in response.

"Sorry" he stated and I sniggered quietly, but this was the only way to make sure that the shapeshifter wouldn't hurt Rebecca.

"This way" Dean sighed, jogging out of the alleyway where we followed after him and began running down the street where we found a telephone box and Sam walked inside, dialling up the emergency number. But I couldn't hear what he said exactly because I wasn't standing right in the entrance. It didn't take long though and Sam placed the phone back in its cradle before walking out and nodding at us.

"It's done, it shouldn't take them too long since they should respond right away" Sam said and we nodded before walking slowly back to the middle of town, walking at an average pace since it would take the police a little while to get to Rebecca's house.

Soon enough though we arrived at an electrical store, with TV screens on display in the window, each of them tuned in to the news. We stood there for about fifteen minutes, until a Breaking News report was shown.

"An anonymous tip led to a house in the Central West End, where a SWAT team found a local woman bound and gagged. Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty four to thirty years of age was found hiding in her home" the reporter said, before a police sketch of Dean popped up onto the screen. He groaned and waved at the screen.

"Come on, that's not even a good picture" he moaned and I rolled my eyes at him. He wasn't bothered by the fact that he could now get caught by the cops, but was more worried about the police sketch not showing his good features off. That was the Dean I knew and loved.

"It's good enough. Now come on" Sam said and I saw that he was looking around, obviously aware that Dean was now a wanted man and we were currently standing in the middle of the street. Dean sighed before we both followed after Sam, where he led us into another alley to stay off the street. It was too dangerous for Dean to be out in the open.

"Come on" Sam urged and I looked back to see that Dean was trailing behind, shaking his leg since he'd stepped into one of many puddles along this alleyway.

"It said attempted murder, so at least we know-" Sam began and Dean nodded, catching up to us.

"That I didn't kill her" he finished.

"We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's alright" Sam stated and I frowned at him.

"How we gonna do that genius? She thinks your brother tried to kill her" I stated and Sam frowned before sighing, seeing that I had a point.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it" Dean nodded in response before sighing.

"But first I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him" Dean stated and I frowned, pausing and saw Sam do the same as we both stared at Dean.

"We have no weapons" Sam and I pointed out and Dean frowned before shivering slightly and groaning.

"Yeah, well he's walking around with my face on, okay, it's kind of personal and I wanna catch him" he replied and I glanced at Sam as he did the same thing to me before we both shrugged and nodded at Dean.

"Okay, where do we start?" I asked him and Dean thought for a moment.

"We could start in the sewers" he stated and I nodded as Sam nodded.

"We still don't have any weapons. He stole our guns, we need more" Sam stated before we all thought for a moment.

"The car?" we asked each other at the same time and Dean groaned.

"Jesus, now all of us are doing it" he sighed and I snorted before shrugging.

"It's a disease. Anyways, I'm betting he drove the car over to Rebecca's" I stated and the boys nodded.

"My thoughts exactly. The news report said he fled on foot" Dean smiled before groaning and fisting his hand.

"So it's likely it's still there" I stated and Sam nodded.

"Ugh, the thought of that guy driving my car" Dean stated, upset with the idea and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Let it go" I sighed, before we started walking in the general direction of where Rebecca's should be.

Soon enough the roads started to look familiar until Sam nodded at the white house across the street and we crossed the road, which was empty of cars, though it was quite late at night. Sam walked over to the alley at the side of the house and we all spotted the car easily, which made Dean sighed in relief.

"There she is" he stated, waving his hand and sounding relieved and happy to see his car.

"Finally something's going right tonight" Dean said and I groaned.

"Don't say that, you'll probably jinx it now" I sighed and Dean turned to glare at me before we walked closer to the car, where lights of a police car started flashing where it was parked next to the Impala. Son of a bitch! We all turned to see another car parked down the alley and I sighed.

"Quick, this way" Dean said, heading over to a nearby fence, intending to jump over it.

"You go, we'll hold them off" I said and Dean looked at me, frowning over his shoulder as Sam nodded in agreement.

"What are you talking about? They'll catch you" Dean frowned and I rolled my eyes at him. He could be slow sometimes.

"Yeah man, that's the point, give you a chance to escape, besides they can't hold us if you hurry. They have no proof" I replied quickly.

"Exactly, just keep out of sight and meet us at Rebecca's" Sam stated and Dean groaned before clambering onto the fence.

"Stay out of the sewers" I called and was met by silence.

"We mean it Dean" Sam called back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" came Dean's voice from the other side of the fence and I huffed, looking at Sam who rolled his eyes at me. Dean was a serious pain in the ass! He was intending to go to the sewers if the shapeshifter was there and take this thing on, on his own.

"Don't move, keep your hands where I can see 'em" the police officer said and with a sigh, Sam and I raised our hands into the air. The cops moved forwards slowly, before moving and handcuffing the two of us. No wonder they never caught the fugitives if it took them this long to move in. They were bloody useless!

"So, say this shapeshifter is real. By the way, you know you're crazy? But say it is real… um how do you stop it?" Rebecca asked and I fixed her with a stare as she replaced Sam's beer bottle and I shifted my weight again as another uncomfortable feeling felt like it was punching me in the gut.

We had managed to get out of the police station after being held for two hours, where Sam and I both denied everything, and since they had no evidence that we were aiding Dean, they couldn't keep us since they hadn't seen that there was three of us originally and hadn't seen Dean jump over the fence. As soon as we were released, we headed straight here to talk to Rebecca, who hadn't seemed to mind the fact that we were on her doorstep considering that our brother had tried to kill her, so we tried explaining instead and she seemed to be taking it a little better than I thought she would. It was a little eerie, well she was a little eerie and had been since she let us in.

"Thanks" he said, playing with the bottle momentarily as I got to my feet and walked over to the other side of the room.

"Silver bullet to the heart" he stated and Rebecca snorted. I still thought there was something off with her.

"You really are crazy" she said and I heard something smash, making me turn around to see that she had smashed the empty beer bottle she'd just taken from Sam over his head. I glared at her.

"Bitch, you're clever, but doesn't looking like a woman freak you out?" I asked and the shapeshifter smirked before shrugging.

"I prefer being a guy, women are weird" it said and I lifted my brows at it, sidestepping around its advance.

"I could say the same about you. I'm curious though, were you born a guy? Or perhaps born a woman and decided to take on the forms of guys because you were having an identity crisis?" I asked and the Rebecca lookalike sneered at me before tackling me to the ground and grabbing my hair, before smashing my head into the floor. I groaned as the pain rattled around my skull as my head was slammed against the floor was again. I kicked my leg around the shapeshifter's waist and turned so that I was straddling it and began smashing its head into the floor, but it was stronger and able to roll us back over so that it was on top before picking me up and throwing me to the ground, my head smacking off the floor and I blacked out again.

I blinked my eyes open and saw that not much time had passed but enough for the shapeshifter to change out of Rebecca's form and back into Dean's as well as tie Sam to a chair. I groaned and they looked over at me and I coughed before spitting the mouthful of blood out onto the floor, wincing when I realised that we were still in Rebecca's house and that blood would stain afterwards, unless it was got up soon.

"Ali" Sam breathed in relief and I smiled reassuringly at him as the shapeshifter walked over to me and crouched in front of me. I went for him but groaned in pain as I realised that I was tied up to a chair.

"You are stronger as a girl just so you know. I hate to break it to you, but you suck at being a guy" I stated and the shapeshifter glared before backhanding me across the face sharply. The ring on his finger digging into my cheek. Shit, that was going to leave a mark!

"What are you going to do to us?" Sam asked and the shapeshifter stood up before walking over to him and smirking.

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything. Dean will though" he replied and I rolled my eyes at the fact that he was trying, and failing, to be a smartass since he was in the guise of Dean.

"They'll never catch him" Sam and I stated at once, having complete faith in Dean's abilities and the shapeshifter snorted in response.

"Doesn't matter. Murder in the first of his own brother. He'll be hunted the rest of his life" the shapeshifter stated. I shivered at the idea that he was going to kill Sam and I began working on my restraints, but I was tied up tighter than last time. I swallowed against the fear and hopelessness that had started to rise, scared that I would have to sit here and watch Sam being hurt, tortured and then killed in front of me. I'd had the same happen to my family and I'd stood back and watched, but now that I had the power, strength and knowhow I was tied up, unable to move and forced to watch this against my will. Great! I watched as he picked up a knife from the table nearby and began to examine it, the blade glinting under the low lighting but the shapeshifter grinned at Sam.

"First though, I think I'll have a little bit of fun" he grinned, turning away from Sam, making him frown and me to breathe a sigh of relief as the shapeshifter approached me.

"Dean believes you're incredibly strong Ali, both physically and mentally. I wonder how long it will take to make you scream" he said and Sam started struggling.

"Leave her along you son of a bitch!" he exclaimed and I sent Sam a weak smile, nodding as I did so. I could provide a distraction, letting him torture me and Sam could try and break his way out of his bindings. Sam looked at me, his expression showing disgust and the fact that he was scared as the shapeshifter rounded me, so that he was standing behind me. _It'll be okay Sammy, it will be fine, just concentrate on getting yourself free! Please! I can't watch him do this to you, let me be the distraction!_ I pleaded, wishing Sam would understand what I was trying to tell him with my eyes. He blinked for a moment, looking shocked before nodding once.

The blade of the knife was pressed against my throat before he started to run it down my arms, but the pain was nothing, nothing compared to the pain of losing my family and watching Sam hurt. I could deal with this pain if it meant keeping my boys safe. I could deal with this pain because I deserved it after failing to save my family. I closed my eyes against the pain and opened them again, focusing entirely on Sam, to see that he looked sick but I could see him fighting carefully against his restraints, so as not to draw attention to himself.

"You'll be here all night asshole" I stated and the shapeshifter snorted.

"I'm a real boring person" I stated and he rounded, looking me in the eyes.

"We'll see" he shrugged and I smirked in reply as he began lashing out with the knife, drawing ribbons of red blood along my body and making the wounds weep.

I breathed heavily as he walked away from me, towards Sam, before looking back at me and surveying his work.

"I must say, I'll be sorry to lose this skin. Your brother has a lot of good qualities and skills, you should learn to appreciate him more" he said and I snorted, but that made bits of blood fly away from me.

"What do you know about what we think of Dean you dickhead? You don't have our thoughts" I stated, lifting my head up to look him in the eye. Ignoring the pain I was in, trying my best to not show it, but I was proud of the fact that I hadn't screamed, cried or begged for my life. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The shapeshifter glared, before turning away and pouring himself a drink.

"Cheers" he said, waving the glass in the air before slamming the tip of the knife into the table. I saw Sam eyeball the knife and I sent him a smile, knowing what he was thinking. The shapeshifter approached him, probably to brag about what he was inflicting on me like he had done the last few times for the last twenty minutes, but when he approached, Sam slammed his legs into the shapeshifter's shins, causing him to fall back as Sam got to his feet, running over to the knife where he used it to saw off the ropes before making his way over to me only to get tackled to the ground by the shapeshifter. I groaned, before twisting my wrists against my ties, desperate to get to Sam and try to help, though with how drained I felt, I doubted I would've been able to do anything, maybe provide another distraction?

"Son of a bitch" the shapeshifter hissed as Sam got the upper hand, before Sam swung out at the shapeshifter grabbed, him before twisting him around.

"Not bad little brother" the shapeshifter said, as Sam managed to pin him down.

"You're not him" he stated as they continued their scuffle on the floor, but the pain was rearing its head now, making it hard for me to focus on what was happening and making me too tired to work against the bonds.

There was a loud crash and I looked up, blinking around bits of blood that dripped into my eyes and saw that Sam was on the floor, with books and bits of the shelf that used to be the bookshelf laying on top of him.

"Even when we were younger, I managed to kick your ass" the shapeshifter stated, and that was partly true, Dean usually did have the upper hand. I swallowed back the scream as it picked up the pool cue and started towards Sam, obviously intending to ram the cue through his heart.

"No, no, no" I whispered to myself but instead Sam got to his feet and the shapeshifter tried to hit him with the cue, but Sam avoided the blow, and the shapeshifter hit the light above him instead, choosing to throw the cue aside where he jumped on Sam, knocking them both through the coffee table and breaking it. I heard Sam gasping and began whimpering.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, and the shapeshifter just chuckled as I heard movement from the doorway.

"Hey!" Dean called and the shapeshifter looked up before getting off Sam, where I heard him suck in a deep breath as Dean fired two shots, hitting the shapeshifter directly in the heart, making him stumble back and fall onto the nearby table as Becky entered.

"Sam!" she called and ran over to him as Dean walked to the shapeshifter and yanked on something, which I then saw was his necklace. Becky crouched next to Sam and Dean glanced at them before nodding.

"Sam okay?" I asked, my voice coming out croaky and Dean nodded.

"Yup" he said, obviously pleased as he studied Sam before he looked at me and stared.

"Shit Ali" he gasped, hurrying over to me and untying my hands. I smiled down at him gratefully and groaned as I slumped forwards, no longer tied to the chair so I wasn't being held upright.

"Shit, what did he do to you?" Dean gasped, looking at me in horror as he cradled my face and looked at me. I took in a shuddery breath before pushing myself to my feet, clenching my jaw against the pain, not wanting Dean to hear how much this hurt, before I stumbled over to where Becky was helping Sam up. She turned and gasped at me as Sam looked at me in guilt, the fear and horror evident in his eyes. I smiled and nodded at him and he pulled me in for a hug.

"Sam, I'm covered in blood" I stated and he groaned.

"Don't care" he said and I winced as he hugged me tighter.

"Okay how about, Sammy you're hurting me" I gasped and he swore under his breath before pulling away, but kept his arms wrapped lightly around me to support my waist. I nodded at Becky, who nodded back a grimace on her face.

"I look that bad huh?" I asked, feeling light-headed as my head began to spin, making the room seem like it was spinning.

"Yeah a little" she admitted and I nodded, feeling my legs turn to jelly.

"We should go" I breathed, before black spots covered my vision, each spot bigger than the last until all I saw was black.

"Als!" Sam exclaimed and I felt his arms around me, supporting me.

I stayed sitting in the back of the car, pressing a can of soda to my forehead as I felt warm again, but this was usual ever since I woke up this morning in the hospital. I would go hot, then cold then normal and back again, but it was different parts of my body that did this at different times, sometimes the wounds, especially the deeper ones that were covered with gauze, started burning as well. It wasn't very nice, but I had given Sam enough time to get himself untied from the chair which gave him the advantage to fight against the shapeshifter so that's all I cared about. He, on the other hand, didn't see it like that and he hadn't left my side all day, well except now but that was because I was too worn out to climb out of the car. Sam and Dean had both been annoyed with me because I discharged myself from the hospital three hours after waking up, but firstly, I hated hospitals and avoided them at all costs, only going in when we posed as officers looking in the morgue or if I needed medical care badly. Secondly we needed to get going since we couldn't stay here for too long, we needed to get moving and find somewhere else to go to, find another job to deal with.

"So this is what you do? You and your brother and Ali?" Becky asked as she and Sam walked a little further away from the house. He had been in there for about five minutes to say goodbye to her and check to make sure everything was okay.

"Yeah, pretty much" Sam replied and I saw Dean look up from the map he was looking at to watch them approach as I cooled down back to normal body temperature. He was leaning against the side of the Impala, facing the house, waiting for Sam to come back and studying the map to choose somewhere to drive to and maybe pick up a job along the way.

"Wow, I find it hard to believe and I saw it with my own eyes. I mean, does everybody at school… nobody knows you do this?" she asked, as they paused halfway down the drive, but it was quiet outside so their conversation drifted over to us. Sam shrugged and shook his head.

"No" was his simple reply and Becky looked awkward, but asked the question she was dying to ask.

"Did Jessica know?" she asked and Sam looked thoughtful for a moment, though there was nothing to think about really. He'd never told her.

"No, she didn't" he sighed and Becky frowned.

"Must be lonely" she said and Sam smiled before shaking his head.

"Oh no. No, it isn't so bad. Besides what can I do? It's my family" he said and Becky laughed slightly.

"Well you know, me, Zack, everybody at school. We miss you" she stated before pulling him in for a hug.

"Yeah, I miss you to" Sam sighed and I could see the sadness etched onto his face. He really missed those times, when they were so much simpler.

"Well, will you call sometime?" Becky asked as they pulled away.

"It might not be for a little while" Sam stated but he still nodded, though I doubted he would keep in touch much after this. In fact I had a feeling he might try and cut them out of his life to make it easier for him and his friends. Becky nodded before waving over at Dean and me, where Dean waved back easily and I stuck my hand out of the window, waving my hand and looking like I was flagging a taxi down. Becky smiled before walking back up to the house and disappearing inside as Sam made his way back down to the car.

"So what about your friend Zack?" Dean asked and I frowned, curious as to how his friend was.

"Cops are blamin' this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder. They found the murder weapon in his lair along with Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking the tape may have been tampered with. Yeah, Becky says Zack will be released soon" Sam stated, smiling at the end of his sentence and I smirked at his playfulness. I saw Dean roll his eyes through the window before the two of them climbed into the car. Dean started her up and we drove out of St Louis.

"Sorry man" Dean sighed and I settled further down in my chair, trying to get comfortable.

"About what?" Sam asked, seemingly confused by Dean apology.

"I really wish things could be different you know? And you could be… Joe College" he said and Sam sent him smile.

"It's okay man. I mean even at Stanford, deep down I never really fit in" he sighed and Dean let loose an awkward chuckle.

"That's 'cause you're a freak" he stated and Sam sighed.

"Thanks" he replied sarcastically and I grinned at the back of their heads.

"Don't worry, we're freaks too, with you all the way" Dean replied and Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, I know, thanks" he replied and Dean grinned at him before focusing back on the road.

"You know, I'm really gonna miss it" he sighed and I frowned at him.

"Miss what?" Sam and I asked, though I sounded tired, which made me wince. I didn't want the boys thinking I was weak, though I physically was at the moment.

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" he asked and the two boys sent a grin to each other and I snorted in reply. Typical of Dean to think of that, but I was curious.

"I wonder who'll go? I mean, no offence Dean but you don't really have any friends" I shrugged and he looked at me through the rear mirror and shrugged.

"I know, I'm just curious to see if anyone would turn up" he stated and I laughed slightly, no having much energy for a full chuckle. Sam sighed and turned in his seat.

"How you doing there kiddo?" he asked and I glared at him.

"You call me kiddo again, I'm gonna shove my foot so far up your arse that you'll have trouble sitting for a few weeks" I said and he grinned at me while Dean laughed.

"Yeah she's still fine Sammy" Dean said and I grinned at him.

"Why thank you, that's mighty kind of you" I said, winking at Dean and he snorted a laugh before shaking his head at me.

"That's why I love you so much Ali, even when you are in pain you still manage to make me laugh" he said and I glared at him.

"Oh yeah thanks, laugh at my pain why don't you" I huffed and he glanced at me in the mirror, wide eyed.

"That's not what I-"

"Oh I know, I'm playing with you my dear brother" I cut him off and he glared at me which made me laugh, and I winced as the action made my body flare up in pain. His expression softened.

"Try getting some rest Ali, you need your sleep if your body is gonna mend" he stated and I rolled my eyes but yawned.

"Yes mom" I stuck my tongue out teasingly and he grinned before I closed my eyes tiredly.

"You're the idiot who discharged herself" he grumbled, obviously still annoyed with me on that and I shrugged.

"Quit worrying. I'll tell you one thing Dean, you'll make a good mom at some point" I joked and Sam started chuckling from the passenger seat in front of me.

"Any other time I would throw something at you" he huffed and I grinned, opening one eye to peek at him and saw that he was wearing a fond smile on his face.

"You know Dean?" I asked and he hummed curiously.

"I just want you to know, that Sam may have gone to college and come back and your dad might be AWOL but I love you, and you won't be getting rid of me anytime soon. Where I go, you go, even if I have to drag you along with me" I said, feeling the need to say that and he smiled gratefully.

"You should get some sleep" he nodded and I nodded in reply, telling him I would. Sam smiled at us and I smiled back at him which made me nod briefly before he turned around, the two of them settling into silence and I knew that they were hinting at me to sleep. I closed my eyes and prayed for sleep to come quickly, since I felt like I hadn't slept in a week, which with these nightmares, I hadn't slept properly at all. The car rumbling beneath me was soothing and darkness soon claimed me.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: I've had a case of writer's block so I'm a little slower with writing at the moment, hopefully that will clear up though, but in the meantime I hope you like this chapter. Please leave me some feedback because it will be much appreciated. Thanks!

- Laura :)

**Chapter 7- Hook Man**

"Okay here" I stated, pointing over Dean's shoulder at the outdoor café and he sighed but did as I said.

"Don't moan, besides there's a payphone that Sam can use" I stated and Sam turned to look at me, where I was leaning my arms on the seat in between the boys, to frown at me.

"What are you gonna do then? Make us do the hard work?" Sam asked and I grinned before shrugging in reply and wincing slightly. I was still in a little bit of pain and Sam's gaze softened as he noticed my wince where he lay his head on my elbow and I stroked his hair with my other hand. He'd felt extremely guilty ever since that job in St Louis nearly two weeks ago and unfortunately I couldn't travel too much, so we rented out a room, where Dean played poker every night or every other night to get us some money and I mostly stayed in the hotel room to rest but I hated being cooped up, so I finally convinced Dean to pack up and start driving again. Both Sam and Dean weren't impressed with my idea, but I had never sat around for so long without working on something and it was making me edgy knowing that things were happening out there and we weren't doing anything about those people dying because of the fact that I was recovering. But then again I'd never been that injured before. Well not since I lost my family because I was battered at that time, but those wounds ran deeper than I ever could've imagined.

"Forget about it Sam, I'm perfectly fine" I stated and he sighed before removing his head from my elbow and frowning at me, shaking his head as he did so, but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to though and that was because I'd managed to connect with him again two nights ago and had saw that he was still dreaming about Jessica, but also about having to sit there and watch as the shapeshifter tortured me, and not doing anything about either thing. The guilt was eating him up and he felt even worse whenever I told him not to worry. He thought I should hate him and punch him and run as far away as possible from him, not that I would because he wasn't cursed, not like he thought he was.

"Alright let's make camp" I joked and the boys rolled their eyes before we climbed out of the parked car and started towards the café, where Dean disappeared inside to order whatever and Sam went to the payphone, pulling out one of his fake ID's and started reciting something from it, possibly the number thing that Dean put on them, I wasn't sure what it was called some sort of ID number though. I pulled out my laptop from my bag, since I'd brought it with me and settled it on the table, before searching the local online newspapers for any suspicious looking deaths. I might as well hurry up and get back in the game again, the longer it took me to repair and hunt again, the worse my skills would probably be. Practice always made perfect for me and if I didn't keep myself in gear then my skills would become worse and I would have to practice hard to keep myself in top condition, unlike the boys, they were still brilliant with what they did even after four years- Sam had proved that. Whereas I would be crap and would have to train all over again. It was weird.

Dean soon returned and he placed Sam's coffee down in the free space on the table and settled my coffee down next to me, but I didn't pay much attention to him, instead focusing on an article where a guy had been killed. It sounded like our kind of thing.

"Okay thanks" I heard Sam say before he walked over to the table.

"Your, uh, half-caf double vanilla latte is gettin' cold here, Francis" Dean said as Sam stood next to the table.

"Bite me" he said, before sitting down and I snorted a laugh, deciding that I was finished and could drink my coffee, seeing that Dean had ordered me half a dozen bagels as my breakfast, so I grinned at him thankfully and he smiled back before turning to his brother.

"So, anything?" he asked and Sam sighed before shaking his head.

"No, I had 'em check the FBI's Missing Person Databank. No John Doe's fitting dad's description. I even ran his license plates for traffic violations" he stated and I sighed, before rubbing my forehead. Sam had decided this morning to check with the FBI and other government officials to see if there had been any sign of their dad, which I resisted the urge to tell him this morning that it would be pointless since he wouldn't turn up anytime soon.

"Sam, I'm tellin' ya, dad doesn't want to be found" Dean sighed and Sam nodded, but I could see the disappointment etched onto his face. I sent the boys a sympathetic smile before turning my laptop so the two of them could see.

"Check this out though, I think I've found something" I stated and the boys leaned forwards to scan the article.

"An article from Planes Courier, Ankeny, Iowa, which I think is about one hundred miles or so from here" I stated and Sam nodded, telling me he agreed before frowning.

"'The mutilated body was found in a car, parked on nine mile road'" Sam read from the article and I nodded.

"Keep reading" I stated, waiting until he read the part that had captured my attention.

"'Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer, the sole eyewitness whose name is being withheld is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible" he read and both of them frowned and I nodded.

"Could be something interesting" Dean said, nodding in agreement and I smiled at him.

"Or it could be nothing at all. One freaked out key witness who saw nothing at all. Doesn't mean it's the Invisible Man" Sam replied and I frowned, but he shrugged slightly at me, telling me that he wasn't saying that my abilities to find a job were poor, just that he was thinking way too logically.

"But what if it is? Dad would check it out" Dean replied and Sam sighed before nodding.

"Yeah okay, let's go then" he said and I nodded in response, before packing my laptop away and nodding at Sam and Dean who smiled slightly at me in return as I grabbed my coffee and bagels and took them into the car with me, placing my laptop bag on top of my duffel so that I didn't have to hold it.

Dean started up the car before pulling out of the café we had been in and glanced at me in the rear-view mirror.

"You won't like this though Ali" Dean stated and I tilted my head slightly in response.

"What? What are you planning on doing this time?" I asked and Dean shrugged apologetically.

"Well the guy was part of a fraternity" Dean stated and I nodded slowly in reply and he looked at Sam briefly who shrugged and turned around as Dean turned his attention back to the road.

"What he means is that, we need to pose as frat boys, which means you can't come with since you're a woman" Sam stated and I nodded slowly in response.

"Okay that's fine, I'll hide in the Impala while you check things out" I shrugged and Dean sighed but didn't say anything, knowing that if he tried to tell me what to do, that I would just start an argument with him. There was no way I was leaving them, especially if they may need me for back-up, since they were good but they occasionally needed my help.

"Fine, but if I give you the cards then you can rent a motel room near the fraternity" Dean said and I huffed a sigh, rolling my eyes at the back of his head but left it alone. I didn't want to hide in a fraternity room anyway since they would most likely get put with a roommate.

"Okay fine, we go to the frat house first. You guys find out what you can, then we go and check into a motel so I can get set up" I stated and Sam turned in his seat to look at me, a frown on his face.

"What are you? Our babysitter?" he asked and I glared at him.

"Yeah big boy, got a problem with that?" I shot back and he sighed, still frowning at me. I didn't care what Sam thought, three years older than me or not, I was staying with the boys. Staying in the Impala, outside of the building, where I could get to them easily if need be, was much better than staying out of the way and reduce the risk of getting found out but making it harder to get to the boys if they needed me. Sam sighed loudly through his nose and I lifted my eyebrows at him patronisingly. He glared and shook his head.

"No offence Ali-"

"Which means you're about to offend me" I interrupted, stating the obvious and he smiled slightly sending me a small shrug.

"-well, we're older than you" he continued.

"Really? I didn't notice that" Sam glared at me for interrupting him again.

"Would you shut up long enough to hear me out? Jesus, you've been hanging around Dean too long" the two of us grinned at each other in the mirror and Sam rolled his eyes at us.

"-look, I don't know why you think that we can't cope without you, but whatever the reason is you're being stupid. Dean and I are big boys, we can take care of ourselves so you need to quit worrying and let us do our job" he finished and I took a deep breath before nodding.

"I'm still coming with you" I stated and Sam rolled his eyes before turning to Dean.

"Will you talk some sense in to her?" he exclaimed and Dean glanced at his brother momentarily before turning back to the road and shrugging.

"Why, do you expect her to listen to me more than you?" Dean asked and Sam snorted.

"Yes I do, with how close the two of you are" he pointed out and I smiled at him before shaking my head.

"So naïve dude" I sighed and Dean chuckled before silencing when Sam glared at him and he sighed.

"First of all Sammy, Ali has always been a pain and never did as she was told. Why do you think dad lost his temper so much with her? She was like you…questioned everything and never did anything without being given a reason beforehand" Dean shrugged and I nodded at the back of his head, though there was one thing that John always asked me to do, that I never needed to question and he never needed to ask me to do and that was 'Ali take care of my boys please?' since I loved Sam and Dean just as much as he did. Dean shrugged before continuing.

"-and just because you have been away for four years and a lot about Ali has changed, doesn't mean that her hardwiring has changed"

"Dude, what am I, a computer?" I asked and Dean stuck his tongue out at me and I rolled my eyes at his reflection before he glanced at Sam who was sitting to look between the two of us.

"Look, Ali may have balls now, but she is still Ali; still bitchy when on her period or when she doesn't get eight hours of sleep. She's a freak like us and is still a pain in the ass hence why she was given to me to look after" he winked at me after saying this and I stuck my tongue out at him, knowing that he was in fact correct, "-but the one thing we will never change about her, is her protective instinct, especially when it involves us" Dean stated and I grinned at Sam who sighed and nodded in reply.

"Yeah Sammy, so get off your high horse and accept the fact that you have a nineteen year old who will worry her ass off unless she is parked in the car outside" I stated and saw that while Sam appreciated this fact, that he thought it was unnecessary. I sighed as we approached Ankeny.

"Sam, this isn't me underestimating and putting your or Dean down. I know, better than anyone, how capable you two are at doing any job that is thrown at you. I am not saying that I think you won't be able to handle a few frat boys. But what you need to understand is me, after the last twelve years you need to understand how hard it is for me to be away from the both of you for just five minutes. I'm scared shitless that something will happen to you guys, not that anything will since I know you are capable, but that is my one and only fear about this job. It will kill me if anything happens and I'm not close enough to throw myself in front of one of you. Hell if something happened I would get you guys coming back to haunt me, and then your dad on my ass since I always promised him and myself that I would take care of you, even if it meant giving everything I had. So please, don't push me aside just because you are capable of doing your job, anything can happen in this life and you need to understand that it scares me more than anything. So let me be there, just in case you do need back-up, it will help me stay relaxed, otherwise I'll be pacing the motel room and you will be greeted by me jumping on you and fussing over you for at least half an hour when I see you" I shrugged and Sam frowned at me.

"Jesus, take a breath Als" he said and I smiled slightly before he reached over the back of his chair and gripped my hand.

"Nothing will happen to us Ali" Dean said as Sam opened his mouth, probably to say the same thing. I gripped Sam's hand. I always thought the same of my parents, that nothing would happen to them and we wouldn't become the news that you see in the newspaper about some poor child being orphaned, but that happened to me. And that was my fault because of how I couldn't save them, because of how I taunted the demon, even though my mom begged me not to. That will always be on my conscience and it's hard for me to deal with lately, after having that nightmare and remembering every single detail, well I will do anything I can to prevent it from happening again, even if it means I die to protect my boys. But I doubt this is anything they understand, sure they would die for each other, but I doubt they feel as strong about it as what I do. I gripped Sam's hand tighter.

"Whatever you say Dean, Sam turn around and sit properly please" I said, letting go of Sam's hand and talking around the lump in my throat, which made my voice sound strained. Both boys glanced at me but said nothing, for which I was grateful, though we were pulling up to the frat house now, since I could see it down the street. I nodded at them and was about to slide down into the seat so that I was sitting on the floor of the car, with my head resting on the leather backseat of the car but Dean spoke and captured my attention, looking at me over the back of his seat.

"We'll try not to be too long and I'll call your cell if anything happens" he stated and I sighed before nodding. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me, allowing me to see that it was his wallet. I frowned in confusion and he smiled slightly.

"You know how we work these things. If anything happens there are credit cards in there for you to use to buy a room, food, a male prostitute perhaps" I opened my mouth to interrupt and Dean smirked but shook his head, telling me to shut my mouth and not rise up to the comment because he wasn't finished talking down to me.

"Don't worry Ali, nothing will happened but we always need to take precautions and you always use my money so you don't have your own card otherwise you would be using that" Dean stated, adding a shrug to the end of his sentence and I grinned.

"Fine, I'll accept that then, but only as a last resort. You either come back out to me, or you call me and I come after you" I shrugged and Dean rolled his eyes but nodded.

"And if neither of those happen then you get to a motel and wait there until Sam or I can contact you" he stated and I opened my mouth to argue but Dean glared and I closed my mouth.

"My terms Aliana. You either stay with those terms, or I drive you to a motel and you can worry your ass off there. Take it or leave it" he stated and I sighed before nodding.

"I'll take it" Dean smiled and nodded before leaning over and kissing my forehead.

"Good girl. Now stay and wait in the car for us to get back. No leaving to go paint your nails" he taunted before his face turned serious again.

"You lock the doors and drive off if any suspicious characters approach the Impala, I don't want my baby or my little sister getting hurt. You hurt my car, I'll be pissed and if I do die I'll haunt your ass, but I would do that for fun anyway. No trying to chase whatever this thing is on your own, if you see anything then text Sam and stay here until we come back for you. No chasing us either if anything happens so think rationally with your head, no sudden urges because I know what you're like. That's an order, are we clear?" Dean said firmly and I rolled my eyes at him but sighed. He had just gone all John Winchester on my ass and it was freaky when he did that. Now if John had said that to me I would agree to his terms but promise myself I would defy him, but with Dean, well he was doing it out of protectiveness and I wouldn't risk his trust, because if he managed to find out that I had disobeyed him well he would probably drag my ass off to a nunnery where I would be left to climb the walls, probably literally, in my boredom. I nodded at him.

"Yes sir" I stated and Dean nodded as Sam glanced between the two of us in shock. Yeah Dean would never dare give his brother instructions like that because Sam would probably give him a black eye and a split lip, but I knew Dean was finding it hard leaving me in the Impala, out in the open with who knows what lurking around, while he had Sam as back-up. I rubbed the left side of my chest as it ached and nodded a final time as Dean climbed out of the car, followed by a surprised looking Sam before they closed the car and Dean locked the doors, before approaching a guy who was on a board beneath a car, obviously fixing it up. I sighed and rolled my eyes at my brother's protectiveness, but then again I always did the same with him, so he had a right to order my ass around when I became a pain in his like I was at the moment. I pulled my cell out of the pocket of my jeans and slid to the floor of the impala, angling myself so that I could look out of the windscreen easily if I pushed myself up enough and positioned myself so that I could rush out of the car quickly I anything happened. I knew nothing would, because I could feel in my gut that I was overreacting, but I had to prove to the boys that they couldn't push me around and that I wasn't joking when it came to their safety, even if it meant that I placed myself in the open which worried them to. As long as we could easily get to each other if we needed to, that was all I cared about, then again I didn't think highly of myself, if it was between me or the Winchesters I would always pick them first, without a second thought.

"Okay and that's it? A reverend's daughter?" I asked and Dean nodded as he pulled up outside of the church.

"Yup that's who Rich was with the night he was murdered. Lori Stevenson, the reverend's daughter who is the reverend of this church" Dean stated, pointing at the church we had just stopped at. I nodded and climbed out of the car before frowning.

"Okay, so your cover is that you are students, what's mine?" I asked as Dean walked around the car and shrugged, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading us towards the door, snorting as he did so.

"Really?" I asked and he shrugged.

"It's something different, plus it's interesting" he stated and I rolled my eyes at him, hearing the sermon being conducted on the other side of the door.

"Our hearts go out to the family of a young man who perished. And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well because I believe he died trying to protect my daughter" wow I bet Lori was embarrassed at that! Sam looked at Dean and I questioningly and I grinned at him as we walked through the door.

"And now, as time heals all our wounds, we should reflect on what this tragedy means. To us, as a church-" The door banged as it closed behind us, causing the group of people to turn in the pews and look at us and the reverend who was standing on the pulpit, sent us an annoyed look as I took Dean's hand and led the boys over to the pew at the very back. A blonde sitting at the front kept looking for a moment longer as everyone turned around and I saw Sam smile at her weakly.

"-as a community, and as a family. The loss of a young person is particularly tragic. A life unlived is the saddest of passings. So, please, let us pray. For peace, for guidance, and for the power to protect our children." The reverend finished his speech and Sam and I bowed our heads along with the rest of the congregation before I glanced up and elbowed Dean just as Sam did, making him look at the two of us and seeing that everyone had their heads bowed so he did the same.

I wasn't a religious person, but I let the reverend's prayer wash over me and felt the sadness of everyone in the room, especially Lori's whose energy I could feel from the front of the room, and could pinpoint it directly to the woman Sam had smiled at, which was interesting because I'd never seen her or knew what she looked like, although Sam and Dean had spotted a picture of Rich in the frat house with a bunch of his fellow friends and girlfriend, which is why I was guessing that Sam had smiled at her, knowing who she was. My hand found Dean's and touched the back of his hand as I winced at the sadness, guilt loss and grief that Lori was feeling as well as people in the congregation being saddened at the news, apparently this guy had been well liked from what I was sensing. Dean turned his hand over and laced his fingers with mine, the contact instantly making me feel better and allowing me to push the crushing emotions away as my mind became foggy with it all and my heart started to become heavier. Dean squeezed my hand and I returned the squeeze, though I held his hand tighter for a minute longer than needed but he didn't take his hand out of mine.

The sermon ended soon after that prayer and we made our way outside, Dean still holding my hand, though we had to appear as a couple like he was planning just because it would be funny for us. I bit my lip to ignore the feelings that rose up every now and again, but when around someone who's energy I wasn't familiar with, I had no idea what kind of wall to build to protect myself from their presence, like I had with Sam so that I wouldn't feel his grief after Jess had died. After that dream weeks ago and after it recurring every night, I realised that a lot of things had disappeared, in that these weird feelings had gone, I didn't feel anything when I went on jobs with the guys. The only thing I felt were my own feelings, though I could still read Dean, John and Sam well enough to guess what they were thinking, but now I knew them well enough to guess some things they would say before they themselves said it, and that wasn't because I knew them so well, that was because of these gut feelings I'd had ever since Sam had joined us again, well ever since I had those first feelings that related to him due to Jess dying. Since then I hadn't been able to close the dam, but they became stronger on every job. I had no idea what the reason for this was, but knew there was a reason behind them appearing after twelve years. I knew though that the reason I had them, was because I was connected to my sister and my feelings and her 'sight' went together so that we experienced everything but when she died that ability died with her. Until now.

I realised that we were hanging back a little while Lori spoke to a female friend with a head full of curly, black hair. I frowned and heard that her friend was persuading her to do something tonight but Lori couldn't because of something she did with her dad on Sundays. Obviously we were waiting here until they finished talking. They hugged and Lori's friend walked off so we walked over to her, Sam approaching her first as Dean and I hung behind a little.

"Are you Lori?" Sam asked and she nodded.

"Yeah" she replied, looking at Sam before she looked over at us.

"My name's Sam. This is my brother Dean" he said and Dean waved in reply, walking us forward.

"Hi, this is my girlfriend Ali" Dean said, introducing me and I smiled and sent her a friendly nod while Sam tried to not choke on his saliva in front of Lori at the surprise, but I knew he would say something later. Lori nodded, obviously not noticing Sam's lapse in concentration.

"We're transfer students with the university" Sam finished and she nodded.

"Yeah I saw you inside" she stated and I smiled at her kindly.

"We're really sorry to bother you, but we heard what happened" I began.

"And we wanted to say how sorry we were" Dean finished my sentence and I leant against his side slightly. Playing the 'girlfriend' part which was weird, I'd always been introduced as their step-sister or adopted sister.

"I sort of understand what you are going through. I saw someone I loved get hurt. And it's…it's something you don't really forget" Sam said kindly and because I was vulnerable and open to everything around me, I received a sharp pain in my heart, which made me grip Dean's hand tightly and he winced at my grip as I felt Lori's guilt. What did she have to be guilty about? Unless she felt like it was her fault? Which was normal for someone who was grieving. I saw her dad approach us and Lori nodded slightly at Sam's response and I felt Dean's concern and curiosity at my reaction, but I knew he was a little worried about Sam as well.

"Dad, um, this is Sam, Dean and Ali. They're new students" Lori stated as her dad slowed to a stop beside her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir. I must say that was a very inspiring sermon" Dean said, reaching forward with his free hand to shake the reverend's hand. The man nodded at Dean and they shook hands firmly before retracting hands.

"Thank you, it's good to have young people open to the Lord's message" he stated and Dean chuckled a little while I hid my smile. It was a little funny.

"Listen, uh, we're new in town" Dean began, leading the reverend away from Sam, Lori and I, "-and we're looking for a, uh, a church group" he said, walking away as I smiled at his retreating figure and standing next to Sam, smiling encouragingly at Lori who smile back.

"So Lori, um, what are the police saying? About what happened?" I asked, sounding hesitant to approach such a 'sensitive' topic, which it would be for the girl, but of course we needed the information. She sighed and turned to start walking to Sam followed next to her, with me next to him and he placed his hands in his pockets, offering me his arm, where I slid my arm through his as we walked beside the girl. I was grateful for Sam's observation though, since he knew I probably feeling wacked out and needed some sort of support? Either that or he knew I would be worried about him after this statement so he was trying to ease my worry. But both of them were going well thanks to his thoughtfulness.

"Well, they don't have much to go on. I think they blame me for that" she stated, sounding sad about this, as well as feeling guilty. Ah so that's what the guilt was about! She was feeling guilty about not being able to identify the killer.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked curiously and she sighed.

"My story, I was so scared, I guess I was 'seeing things'" she sighed, pausing so Sam and I stopped walking to face her.

"That doesn't mean it wasn't real" Sam stated and I nodded in agreement. Lori sighed as she looked between us.

"Can you tell us what it was you saw? I'm sure it doesn't sound as strange as what you think it does" I said, shrugging and she sighed.

"I didn't see anything. If the killer was around I didn't see him, but I did hear scratching, lots of it. On the car and around where we had parked. When I got out of the car, Rich's body was…" she paused to sob and I stepped closer to her, placing my hand on her shoulder comfortingly and she looked up at me so I nodded and smiled reassuringly before retracting my hand and standing next to Sam again, but didn't place my arm back in his again as I tried to force the shiver away. She swallowed and took a deep breath.

"…his body was suspended, over the car, hanging upside down" she whispered before shivering and I sighed.

"Oh Lori, I can't imagine how horrible it must've been, let alone how horrible it was to be there" I frowned and she nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry that it happened and that you had to experience it. But just because you couldn't see the attacker, doesn't mean he wasn't there" I said and she smiled weakly before nodding gratefully and looking over to see her dad and Dean returning.

"Thanks for talking to us and we'll be around if you need to talk about anything, though I'll warn you not to go to the boys because their idea of making you feel better is to place you in front of a horror movie or some sort of karate film" I shrugged and Lori smiled at that before shaking her head and Sam elbowed me.

"No, that's your boyfriend's way of making you feel better" he said, taunting me, without Lori noticing and I smiled sweetly at Sam before looking back at Lori.

"Seriously though, we're here if you need us for anything. It'll probably be easier for you to talk to someone who doesn't know you and who didn't know Rich" I shrugged and she nodded in reply as Dean and Reverend Stevenson stopped beside us.

"Well I hope to see you again" he said and Dean nodded, before shaking his hand.

"I'm sure you will" he stated as the two of them walked off and I glanced at Sam.

"Library?" I asked and he frowned before looking down at me and nodding in agreement.

"Right, we need to search records" he stated before we headed for the Impala.

"So you believe her?" Dean asked as we walked into the library and Sam and I both nodded.

"Yeah, I do" Sam stated and Dean smiled before shrugging.

"Yeah, I think she's hot too" he said and I snorted.

"Some boyfriend you are" I teased and he grinned as Sam sighed and shook his head at Dean.

"No, there was something in her eyes, Dean. It happened and she gave off that vibe as well. She was being truthful" I stated and Dean frowned at me in curiosity and Sam nodded.

"Yeah, her eyes gave her away. And get this; she heard scratching on the hood of the car. Found the bloody body suspended upside down" Sam said and Dean frowned as we walked into the main part of the library.

"Wait, the body suspended upside down? That sounds like-"

"Yeah, I know, the Hook Man legend" Sam finished his sentence and I nodded as we walked inside to find that they didn't have computers and I groaned before looking at Sam who sighed but shrugged as well, coming to the same conclusion that they had physical, paper records here instead of electronic.

"That's one of the most famous urban legends ever. You don't think were actually dealing with the Hook Man do you?" Dean asked and Sam and I both shrugged.

"Well with every legend they all have a place where they began" I stated in reply to Dean's question which was 'it's a possibility' which made Dean nod thoughtfully.

"Yeah but what about the phantom scratches, the tire punctures and invisible killer?" he asked us and Sam shrugged, though I sensed he had an idea, something he had been mulling over on the ride to the library from the church.

"Well what if the Hook Man isn't a legend, but a spirit?" he suggested and I frowned before nodding slowly.

"Actually Sammy, that's a good theory" I stated and he smiled at me.

"Glad I have your approval. Now when were you going to tell me that you were dating my brother?" Sam asked and I grimaced as we approached the counter, waiting for the librarian to return. I shrugged in reply.

"Sorry Sam, these things happen you know. It was just as surprising for us, so do we have your approval?" I asked before smirking up at him and he laughed at my joke as the librarian walked over to us.

"Can I help?" she asked and I smiled at her before nodding.

"Hopefully, do you keep the public records here?" I asked and she nodded in reply.

"That's good, do you think we could see the arrest records dating back to eighteen fifty one?" Sam asked and the librarian frowned, obviously wondering why we wanted those but she nodded, choosing instead to not ask.

"Sure, give me a moment, but please take a seat and I'll bring them over when I find them" she said and we smiled at her.

"Thanks" Sam and I said at the same time before walking over to an empty table a little ways away from the counter, where there was a divider near to this table, to section up this part of tables from the others.

Sam, Dean and I took a seat at the table while we waited, which wasn't long as the librarian soon returned, carrying a box. I smiled up at her as she placed the box on the table in front of Dean.

"Here you go. Arrest records going back to eighteen fifty one" she said and Dean blew the dust off the top of the box, before coughing and I sneezed as the dust blew in my face.

"Bless you" Sam said as Dean thanked the woman and she disappeared.

"So this is how you spent four good years of your life?" Dean asked, seemingly in disbelief and Sam sighed.

"Welcome to higher education" he said, before opening the box and removing files, before dishing them out between us.

"Since Stanford is such a badass, you would've thought they would've had computers" I joked and Sam rolled his eyes at me and shook his head, but I was curious.

"What was it like?" I asked, flipping open one of the files and he looked at me curiously.

"What? College?" he asked and I nodded in reply, which made Dean look up in worry, though he had nothing to worry about, I was curious about Sam's experience, I didn't have a sudden urge to go to college myself. Sam shrugged in reply.

"I liked it, though I doubt you would be interested in Law" he stated and I grinned before shaking my head.

"Nope, not with how much we've broken it" I stated and Sam laughed before looking at me and Dean swallowed before looking down at the file he was reading, not liking the idea of me going to college and leaving him, but he was also slightly curious himself. He would've liked to go to college but he had a duty to help his dad out. Well he thought he did, I on the other hand didn't agree with him. I could've stayed with their dad while the boys went to college, but I think he decided against the idea a long time ago, even more so after John told Sam to stay away when he announced he was going to college. Dean wouldn't have been able to do that, he loved his father too much. Sam sighed slightly.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I think you would like the experience of college Ali, especially if you find something that interests you" he stated hesitantly, wincing as he shrugged, waiting for me to yell his ear off probably, but I shrugged in response.

"Yeah maybe, but can you really see me sitting behind a desk? Besides I doubt they would have 'how to kick butt one-oh-one' as a course, which I would excel at by the way" I said, shrugging and Sam laughed in response so I shook my head, feeling the need to reassure Dean.

"Naah, I prefer this life. College would be too normal for me. I'd get bored after two months" I stated and Dean snorted, so I smiled at him when he looked at me, before turning to the file in front of me and starting to read.

"Hey, check this out. Eighteen sixty-two, a preacher name Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. It says that he was so angry about the red light district in town, that one night he killed thirteen prostitutes. Uh, right here 'some of the deceased were found in their beds, sheets soaked with blood while others were suspended upside down from trees as a warning against sins of the flesh'" Sam said and I glanced up to where he was sitting opposite me. Wow this guy sounds like a lunatic and it wouldn't surprise me if he was one of those killers who thought he was doing it for God.

"Get this, the murder weapon? Looks the preacher lost his hand and replaced it with a silver hook" Dean said, reading something out of a file he had where he was standing with his elbows resting on the divider and the file placed on the short, flat surface. I stood up and walked over to Dean, looking down at the file in front of him and scanning the report quickly before snorting.

"And look where the murders took place" I stated, pointing to the information and Dean glanced at where my finger was pointing to before looking up at me.

"Nine mile road" he stated and we looked at each other before glancing back at the file and over to Sam, who stood up from his place on the chair and walked over to stand opposite us.

"Same place where the frat boy was killed" Sam stated and I nodded in reply though he hadn't asked it as a question.

"Let's go check it out then" I stated and the boys nodded before we collected up the files, since Sam had already tidied up the table and placed the unwanted files back into the box. We kept these ones though since we were apparently allowed to borrow these as long as we returned them, since Sam had asked the librarian earlier on when we all felt that we wouldn't find the information before the library closed.

Sam went to hand the box back in and tell the woman behind the counter that we had a few of the files that we were using for research sake, while Dean and I headed outside and to the Impala, where we climbed in and waited for Sam. He didn't take long though as we were soon driving away from the library and over to nine mile road to check the place out.

It didn't take long to get there though and when we did we climbed out of the car and Sam and I followed Dean around to the back of the car where he headed straight for the arsenal in the trunk and propped it open with a gun.

"Here ya go" he said, handing Sam a rifle, which made him frown slightly and me to glare, so Dean stuck his tongue out at him.

"You know, if it's a spirit then buckshot won't do much damage" he stated and I smiled at him slightly, already knowing that these weren't usual bullets.

"Yeah, rock salt" Dean stated and Sam nodded, impressed before smiling at me in return as Dean handed Sam some of the bullets loaded with rock salt, where he popped a few in the rifle and pocketed the rest, before snapping the rifle back in to place.

"Huh, salt being a spirit deterrent" Sam said and I smiled and nodded as Dean removed a coil of rope and slung it over his shoulder. I frowned at him, but didn't question why he had taken out a coil of rope

"Exactly, it won't do much in terms of damage but I will definitely slow them down" I shrugged and Sam grinned as Dean headed in the direction of the trees at the end of the road.

"That's smart, you and dad think of this?" Sam asked and Dean smiled at his brother.

"You don't have to be a college graduate to be a genius" Dean stated but I ignored him, instead turning to look at the trees as my skin took on that prickly feeling. I knew someone was there, but I didn't feel too threatened in terms of my life, I knew we were safe because my body wasn't reacting in any horrible way like it usually did with hot flushes, nerves and my churning stomach.

"Over there. Over there" Dean whispered, nodding towards part of the trees and Sam cocked the rifle, before aiming it in the trees just as a man emerged, holding his own rifle.

"Put the gun down! Now! And put your hands behind your head" the sheriff ordered.

"W-w-w-wait, okay, okay" Dean stuttered, placing his hands in the air and the sheriff frowned.

"Okay, now get down on your knees. Come on! Do it!" the man ordered and I sighed, before doing just that, seeing the boys do the same out of the corner of my eye, though it was a little awkward having to lower myself to the ground and landed on my knees since my hands were placed behind my head.

"Now get on your bellies" the man ordered and I heard Dean groan.

"He had the gun" Dean huffed as he lay on his front and I flopped forwards, coming into contact with the gravel road, where it pressed into my skin since my top had ridden up.

"Crap" I hissed and heard Sam and Dean snort from their places just a little over from me but they recovered their seriousness afterwards, since it wouldn't be a good idea to laugh in case the sheriff thought we were laughing at him. That wouldn't help our case at all.

He hurried over and cuffed Sam, before lifting him to his feet and placing him in the back of the car, before doing the same to Dean and then myself, so poor Dean was squashed in between Sam and I so to try and make it more comfortable, I slid over to the door and he smiled slightly at me as I glared at the cop's head. What a night this had turned out to be!

"Saved your ass. I talked the sheriff down to a fine. Dude I am Matlock" Dean grinned in triumph and I frowned at him, rubbing my wrists where there was a red band running the length of my wrist.

"How did you do that?" Sam and I asked and he snorted before grinning.

"I told him you were a dumbass pledge and that we were hazing you" Dean said and I laughed slightly. That was a good one! Sam frowned in reply.

"How did you explain the shotgun? And Ali?" he replied and Dean shrugged as we walked over to the Impala where the sheriff had gotten a cop to go and collect it about thirty minutes ago.

"I said that you were hunting ghosts and that the ghosts were repelled by rock salt. You know typical hell week prank" Dean shrugged before grinning.

"And I told them that Ali is my girlfriend and she was in on the plan, where she would play the victim, since we were planning on covering her in fake blood" he shrugged and I grinned at him.

"And he believed you?" Sam asked and I snorted in reply.

"Obviously he believed it, we're out aren't we?" I said as we walked to the doors of the Impala where Dean shrugged and smirked, telling me that he was about to tease Sam.

"'course he believed it. You look like a dumbass pledge" he said and Sam glared just as there was movement at the police station and the sheriff along with two other cops ran out and climbed into their cars before driving off. We all looked at each other before climbing in the car and following behind the cars, but made sure to follow a little behind so that we wouldn't look too suspicious, though they raced off but it was easy to find out what happened.

The cars and ambulance were parked outside of the sorority house. Hang on, the sorority house! Damn, I could've gone undercover and stayed there while on this job, it would've gotten me close to Lori! It was too late to think about that though and I saw as Dean cruised past, giving us the chance to look at the scene that Lori was sitting in the back of the ambulance with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, which was something that was done as a way to keep the shock to a minimal. So something had happened then! I frowned and focused on Lori, opening myself to the emotions swirling inside her that she was scared and horrified and in a little bit of shock. Something had happened to someone, but whom? I frowned at focused a little harder as she looked over, seeing us drive by and I received a pang of pain in my heart at the loss of losing my friend. I closed my eyes, swallowed and turned away to face the front of the car as Dean drove away, finding somewhere to park away from the crime scene before he climbed out of the car, Sam doing the same. I took a moment to take a deep breath and push those emotions aside before stepping out of the car and following the boys back the way we had come, making sure to keep out of sight.

"Why would the Hook Man come here? I mean, this is a long way from nine mile road" Sam stated as we walked around the back of the sorority and emerged in an alleyway which took us down the side of the building.

"Unless he's not haunting the scene of his crime, but something else entirely?" I suggested as Dean opened his mouth before glaring at me, telling me that he was going to say the same thing. We walked a little closer to the building as two girls appeared out of the building and I backed against the wall, with Sam pressing into my side as we hid ourselves behind the bushes at the side of the building. I saw Dean lean around and watch them leave but turned to the wall and looked up at the balcony overhead, which should be approximately where Lori's dorm room was. I looked at Sam and he nodded, lacing his fingers together, where I placed my foot in and he boosted me up.

"Dude, sorority girls. Do you think we'll see a naked pillow fight?" Dean asked and I snorted a giggle, as quiet as I could get it before tumbling over the side of the balcony and landing with a thud. I paused and sensed the boys doing the same but when no one came running to find out what the noise was I figured it was safe. Sam climbed up after me followed by Dean, where I kept an eye out as Sam climbed through the window, followed by Dean and I watched him tumble through the window, landing on Sam as he did so.

"Oh sorry" he said and I rolled my eyes as I climbed through the window.

"Be quiet" Sam hissed in a whisper and Dean glared at him.

"Dude you be quiet" he shot back and Sam turned to glare at his older brother.

"You be quiet" he retorted and I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't both of you shut up" I hissed and they turned to look at me.

"You shut up" Dean said and I stuck my tongue out at him, knowing that otherwise this childishness wouldn't stop.

I surveyed the room we were in and judging by the clothes hung up I was guessing this was a walk-in closet for the Lori and her roommate. Sam opened the door a crack and peered through the opening, watching something before pushing the door open and I peered around him, seeing a uniformed cop walking down the stairs, out of sight.

We walked into the bedroom, where one bed stood directly on the wall to the left and the other stood on the right next to the door leading into the bedroom. The bed on the right was covered with blood, with the wall next to it covered in writing which had been written in blood, presumably in the victim's blood. There was also a smell lingering in the room.

"'Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?' That's right out of the legend" Sam said, reading the writing off the wall.

"Yeah, that's classic Hook Man alright" Dean stated, before tapping his nose, "-definitely a spirit too" he said and I nodded in reply.

"Yeah, I've never smelt ozone this strong before" Sam stated and I frowned at the writing, but at the picture etched into the wall in particular as Dean walked over to the window. I pointed it out to Sam who nodded in reply. The picture was of one large cross, surrounded by four smaller ones.

"Hey come here" Sam said and Dean walked over to stand beside us as Sam pointed to the drawing.

"Does that look familiar to you?" he asked and Dean cocked his head slightly as I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I saw it on one of the pages in the file" I stated and the boys turned to look at me.

"Are you sure?" Dean questioned and I nodded in reply and he nodded as well before we turned out of the bedroom and walked back to the walk-in closet before climbing through the window and landing on the balcony. Sam and Dean took their turn to climb over the side of the balcony and land on the floor and I gripped the railing, looking over the side and down at them. Climbing up wasn't a problem, but climbing back down was and I realised that this was quite high up which I hadn't really thought about on the way up.

"Come on Als" Sam urged and I looked down at him and Sam was over six foot and I was higher than him, so of course I was feeling a little sick. I hated heights, even though most people wouldn't classify this as 'high' but anything over six foot was high, heck having a piggyback off Sam a few weeks ago was classified as 'high' though I wasn't scared because I trusted Sam with my life. Dean smirked at me.

"Is little Ali afraid?" he taunted and Sam turned to look at his brother, making Dean glare at him before Sam turned back to me and waved me down with his hands.

"Come on Als, jump over the side and I'll catch you" he said and I bit my lip.

"You promise?" I asked and he smiled encouragingly before nodding. I trusted Sam and I knew that we badly needed to go. I was making the three of us stand out in the open and it was getting riskier with every second that went by as we could be seen at any second. I gulped and nodded.

"Okay but if I die, I swear to God I'm gonna come and kill you myself" I breathed and Sam grinned before nodding.

"Well you do that then, but I promise that I won't drop you. I've got you Als, you can trust me" he said soothingly and I nodded before climbing over the railing so that I was sitting on top, with my legs dangling over the side. I swallowed and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to push the nerves down, but it didn't work, the longer I sat here the more scared I became as I realised how exposed I was. A strong gust could push me over the side and I could land fatally.

"Okay" I whispered, before sliding off the railing, biting my cheek to keep my scream inside as I felt the wind fly past my ears and bat against my body before I felt gravity catch up with me, but it didn't pull me down to the floor because I felt Sam's arms wrap around me and hold me to him before setting me on the floor. I opened my eyes and saw him smiling down at me, where I smiled back at him and felt my cheeks colour before we stepped back and I saw Dean smirking at me over Sam's shoulder before he motioned for us to move with his head. I took Sam's hand and tugged, making him hurry after me but he took his hand out of mine and I swallowed again, my hand feeling a little too warm but I ignored it and hurried after Dean, where he led us back through the alleyway and to where we had parked the car.

Dean headed straight for the trunk, where we had shoved the papers in and he removed them, but I took them off him and leafed through the papers, searching for the drawing that I knew I had glimpsed an hour ago and finding it quickly.

"It's the same symbol, seems like it is the spirit of Jacob Karns" Sam said, looking over my shoulder at the file and I nodded in reply.

"Alright let's find this dude's grave, salt and burn the bones and put this spirit down" Dean stated and I scoffed.

"It won't be that easy" I stated, remembering the information about his burial, before sighing and Dean frowned at me in confusion as Sam took the file out of my hands.

"'After execution, Jacob Karns was laid in an Old North cemetery, in an unmarked grave'" Sam read from the file before looking up where I glanced between the boys to see that they were giving each other annoyed looks.

"Super" Dean said sarcastically.

"Ok. So we know it's Jacob Karns, but we don't know where he will manifest next, or why" Sam stated and I frowned as I thought of something.

"I think Lori has something to do with it" I stated as Dean opened his mouth to say the same thing, well tough luck, his brain should work quicker! He glared at me but shook his head and sighed before closing the trunk and walking around to the driver's side and climbing in. Sam followed and climbed into the passenger side as I slid into the backseat, taking the files from Sam and placing them on top of the duffels in the backseat next to me.

"Hey" Sam said as Dean walked up to Sam and I, wearing a grin and I rolled my eyes at Dean's grin.

"Man, you've been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome!" Dean stated before grinning and winking at a girl who walked past us as I rolled my eyes. _Yeah, because Sam would really go out partying all the time Dean,_ I thought, rolling my eyes and Dean frowned at me but shook his head and blinked slightly, as though he had blacked out for a moment.

"Well this wasn't really my experience" Sam stated and Dean snorted.

"Let me guess, libraries, studying straight A's?" Dean asked and Sam shrugged before nodding, which made Dean look at me in what looked like worry, though he was giving off something that felt like fear, though I couldn't understand why he would be scared? He sighed and shook his head.

"What a geek. Alright, you do your homework?" Dean asked and I snorted.

"Well he is a straight A student Dean, bit of a stupid question there" I joked and he chuckled slightly as Sam glared at me and I smiled before he rolled his eyes and turned to Dean.

"Yeah, it was bugging the both of us right? So how is the Hook Man tied up with Lori? We think we came up with something?" he replied and Dean nodded slowly, telling him to carry on as Sam removed the piece of paper we had found the information on and handed it to Dean who frowned as he read.

"Nineteen thirty two, Clergyman arrested for murder. Nineteen sixty seven, Seminarian held in hippie rampage" he said and I nodded along.

"Yeah Dean, there's a pattern here, both cases involved a religious man who openly preached against immorality" I shrugged and Sam nodded.

"Then both men found themselves wanted for murders they claimed were committed by an invisible force. Killings carried out, get this, with a sharp instrument" Sam finished off my sentence and I nodded showing that I was going to say the same thing, making Dean frowned and glance between the two of us in shock before shrugging.

"So what's this got to do with Lori?" he asked and I rolled my eyes, damn this man could be slow sometimes.

"A man of religion? Who openly preaches against immorality?" Sam questioned and the realisation dawned on Dean's face where he nodded.

"Except this time, instead of trying to save the whole town, maybe he's just trying to save his only daughter" Sam said and I bit my lip as we continued to walk through the college party in the house. That made sense actually, since it was people close to Lori who had died. Only a parent would be this protective surely? And a parent would do anything, even summoning a spirit, to keep their children safe, right? Or maybe the spirit was latching on to the man?

"Reverend Sorensen, you think he's summoning the spirit?" Dean asked and Sam shrugged.

"Maybe. Or, you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?" Sam hinted and I continued to bite my bottom lip as I thought, but nodded since that made sense and I had thought of that moments ago.

"Yeah, the spirit latches onto the reverend and feeds off his repressed emotions, okay, yeah" Dean replied, obviously agreeing.

"Without the reverend ever even knowing" Sam stated and Dean nodded before sighing.

"So you should keep an eye on Lori tonight" Dean stated and Sam nodded before frowning.

"What about you?" he asked and I saw Dean sigh before looking away and looking back. I glanced in the direction of where he had been looking to see that beside the pool table was a pretty blonde, looking our way and smiling at Dean.

"I'm gonna go see if I can find that unmarked grave" he said before looking back over at the blonde who smiled seductively when she saw she had his attention. Dean sighed and shook his head before turning back to me.

"Ali?" he asked and I shrugged.

"I'll come with you?" I said, but it sounded more like a question since I wasn't sure if he would want me with him, but he nodded in reply.

"Yeah sure, let's get going then" he stated and I smiled before looking at Sam.

"See you soon, stay safe" I said and he rolled his eyes but nodded as we walked off.

"You worry about us way too much Ali" Dean sighed and I shrugged.

"Well worrying is my job. I don't tell you how to do yours, you don't tell me whether to worry or not" I stated, before sticking my tongue out at Dean who chuckled, but rolled his eyes.

"Does this mean I get shotgun?" I asked and he laughed but nodded and I pumped my fist in the air, before rushing over to the Impala and climbing into the passenger side.

"That was the only reason you wanted to come right? So that you could ride shotgun?" he asked and I grinned playfully.

"You know me so well" I joked and Dean rolled his eyes before turning the engine on and driving towards the cemetery.

Dean turned the light of the flashlight this way and that as I followed behind him, carrying the two shovels that we had taken out of the trunk to dig up the grave. We'd arrived at the Old North Cemetery about ten minutes ago and had made our way towards these graves since the headstones were a lot older and Jacob Karns had been executed in the 1830's.

"Ah, here we go" Dean said, directing the light at a particular gravestone and I saw that the stone was plain except for the cross symbol engraved at the top of the gravestone, the same one that had been engraved on the wall and was part of the file on Jacob Karns. I look at Dean and he smiled at me before shrugging and handing me the flashlight as I handed him a shovel where he stuck the spade into the ground and began digging while I held the flashlight so that he could see what he was doing.

After a while I could see the sweat collecting on his forehead so I frowned and cleared my throat.

"Let's swap, I'll dig for a while and you can hold the flashlight" I said and he sighed before shaking his head.

"No it's fine" he huffed and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Dean I wasn't asking your permission, I was telling you, now move your ass because I'm just as capable as you" I stated, crossing my arms, making sure to keep the light trained on him so that he could still see. He glared but pulled himself out of the hole he'd dug so far and I smiled, before handing him the flashlight and dropping into the hole, where I plunged the shovel through the dirt and picked up where Dean had left off.

"Okay that's it, next time, I get to watch the cute girl" Dean huffed and I chuckled as he dug the shovel into the ground again, where I heard him smash against something. He looked up at me and I smiled in return, moving closer to the edge of the grave before he rammed the shovel through the wooden coffin, breaking it into splintered pieces and revealing the decayed bones of the preacher.

"Hello preacher" Dean said, before handing me the shovel, which I took off him and placed next to me, as he collected the salt, lighter fluid and matches from the bag near to him. He threw the salt over the body, followed by the lighter fluid and climbed out of the hole, before striking the match against the side of the case, setting it alight. Dean looked at me and we grinned at each other.

"Goodbye preacher" Dean and I said at the same time, before he threw the match into the coffin, setting the body alight and we watched as the body burned before turning to go back to the Impala, where I started to feel a little queasy.

"Ali?" Dean asked and I blinked, realising that I was leaning against the passenger side of the car and staring down at my feet, so I looked up and over the roof of the car at Dean, who had paused beside the driver's side, the door wide open ready for him to climb in. I smiled and nodded through my queasiness before climbing into the car and slamming the door closed after me and Dean soon climbed in after me, sending me a worried glance, which I ignored, choosing instead to look out of the windscreen.

Dean turned the engine on and backed out of where we had parked, before heading back to Ankeny, but the longer we drove; the closer we got back to Ankeny, the worse the feeling got. Something was incredibly wrong, I felt wrong; my stomach kept churning and hadn't stopped since we got into the car and I was starting to feel a little lightheaded now.

"Dean, put your foot down" I stated and he glanced at me, but did as I said which I would've smiled at had I not felt like I was going to vomit up what I'd eaten so far that day.

"What's wrong?" my brother asked and I sucked in a breath through my mouth before shaking my head at him.

"I don't now, but something is wrong" I stated, leaning forwards on my knees, and placing my head in my hands, closing my eyes so that the light-headedness wouldn't become worse and turn to dizziness, which is what usually happened. I breathed heavily and deeply, trying to get enough oxygen into my body but it didn't work.

"Ali, tell me what to do" Dean said, sounding worried and I groaned, before pushing myself back into a sitting position and turning my head so that I could look at Dean, seeing that he looked just as worried and scared as what he had sounded, then again, the last time I went like this I had been ill for a few weeks afterwards and had ended in Sam losing his girlfriend, though I wasn't feeling that ill just yet. I sucked in a shaky breath, turning my head so that I stared out of the windscreen at the road we were driving down, seeing that we had arrived back in Ankeny.

"Where are you heading now?" I asked him, just to make conversation and Dean sighed.

"To Sam, at Lori's house" he stated and I sat upright in my seat, my back no longer touching the backrest before I turned to Dean and shook my head.

"No, that's not right" I stated before frowning as a headache appeared in between my eyebrows which I rubbed at, closing my eyes as I did so, trying to ease the ache between my eyebrows, which grew worse with every passing second. My closed eyelids blocked out any light from streetlights or passing cars and I took a deep breath, but felt my throat burn so I breathed in through my nose, receiving the smell of disinfectant and bleach. I coughed and opened my eyes before looking at Dean.

"I know where to go. Go to the hospital" I said and he frowned just as his phone started to ring. I sighed and picked it up, not wanting Dean to do that in case he lost concentration for a split second and lost control of the car, not that Dean would do that but I was allowed to worry. I pressed the 'accept call' button after seeing that it was Sam.

"Hey Sammy" I greeted, while putting the phone on loudspeaker.

"Hey Als, look I'm at the hospital. I can't explain now, but just get here and I'll explain it when I see you" Sam stated before the call was cancelled.

"Okay, straight to the point" I stated, before shrugging and placing Dean's phone back on top of the dashboard. He headed in the direction of the hospital before pulling into the closest parking space he could find and we climbed out before hurrying inside, ignoring the receptionist and walking around, trying to find Sam.

"How did you know to come here?" Dean asked me and I shrugged, heading over the elevator and motioning Dean inside with my head, where I stopped and pressed the button for floor three.

The doors slid open with a ding when we stopped at floor three and I stepped out, looking over my shoulder to see that Dean was following me, but I walked slowly trying to find out where Sam was. I bit my lip as I concentrated, focusing on the information and memory from my childhood. Alissa always refused to play hide and seek with me, because I found her straight away, simply because knowing someone and being familiar with their energy allowed me to focus on that energy and guide my body towards them. I always used to do that with Alissa when we were younger and I was looking after her, but I vaguely remembered doing that the once when I was a toddler. Sam and Dean had been staying with my family and I and they had gone out somewhere, forgetting to tell my mom, who panicked, worrying that something had happened to them. I was only about four at the time and couldn't understand why she was worrying when I knew they weren't far and were alive and well. When I told her to stop worrying, that they were okay she realised that I knew where they went but I shrugged, not knowing the name of the place but said I could show her. After she got my sister and I into shoes and coats she let me lead the way to a nearby café where they had gone to meet their dad. My mom never told anyone, not my dad or the boys, and certainly not John about what happened that day, it was just a secret between us girls.

I bit my lip harder, mentally shaking my head before focusing on how Sam felt, how he felt safe and comforting, slightly like Dean, but his energy was more loving and warm whereas Dean was more protective and strong. I paused at an intersection, focusing on the feel of Sam's energy before I felt my gut being guided down the corridor in front of us, so I hurried down that way, where I then saw two police officers. Dean frowned at me slightly, which I saw out of the corner of my eye but chose to ignore it, before he walked in front of me, approaching the officers as I let my concentration waver, not needing to focus anymore since I could see Sam a little further down the hall talking to the sheriff. My head started spinning and as soon as I let go of Sam's energy, no longer focusing on it, my body heated up and I felt nauseous. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, in through my nose and out through my mouth.

"No, it's alright, I'm with him. He's my brother" I heard Dean say, obviously the officers weren't letting him through. I leaned against the wall behind me as the dizziness became worse and it felt as though I was on a roundabout being spun around so quickly that everything outside became blurry. Dean had done that the once when I was younger and I nearly threw up on him when he slowed it enough for me to get off. I had to sit down for fifteen minutes until the dizziness passed. This was exactly the same feeling.

"Hey brother" he called, to get Sam's attention.

"It's alright let him through" came the voice of the sheriff from further down the hall, but I didn't open my eyes, already feeling incredibly lightheaded. The problem was that I had only just found these strange abilities after twelve years and while I remember being able to do these when I was younger, they needed no effort from me because it was natural, it came easily to me, but I knew it was because with Alissa around we constantly used these abilities and so they were exercised frequently. But after losing them for twelve years- although I don't know why that is and why they suddenly came back- I had no idea how to use them, so something that would've been simple years ago, now took a lot out of me. I blinked and looked up to see that Dean was talking to Sam, though I wasn't paying much attention, since it would be hard for me to hear what they were saying as they were being quiet so as not to be overheard and there was no way that I was walking down to them. I would probably faint after taking two steps in their direction.

Dean shifted his weight and I saw that the two of them looked frustrated for a second before they said something to each other at the same moment before grinning. I smiled slightly at seeing the two of them together. Sam had been with us for about two months now and while it felt natural again, it was weird having him back even if he was only here to get revenge. But it was good having him back and I knew that Dean was pleased as well, he'd missed his brother enormously. Cruising passed the university every now and then to check on things wasn't the same as walking up to Sam and hugging the life out of him. I understood how Dean was feeling, it felt good having Sam back with us. They both turned, looking around before Sam looked down the corridor and nodded at me. Dean looked over at me and I saw the frown on his face as the sheriff walked passed and Sam said something to him. The man paused before nodding and Sam and Dean walked over to me, the two of them watching me in concern. Dean opened his mouth but I shook my head at him stiffly, now was not the time to discuss what happened and if I was completely honest with myself, there was no way that I could tell Sam or Dean what happened. How I knew that Sam was at the hospital and which direction we went in, since I led Dean to his brother. This was not the kind of conversation that I wanted to have, at all, with anyone. It was freaking me out, remembering that I could do so much when I was younger and now it had suddenly come back to me. Instead I chose to clear my throat and focus on making myself sound strong.

"What's the verdict?" I asked them and Sam frowned worriedly at me as Dean shrugged, seemingly oblivious to the pain I was in. I blinked and rubbed my eyes which felt like they were on fire and were watering badly, but rubbing them dispersed the water.

"Well Sam saw the Hook Man; apparently burning the body wasn't enough. We have to find the hook and get rid of that too" Dean stated and I blinked before looking up and nodding, pleased with myself that I seemed to appear normal, well to my brother at least, Sam was looking at me knowingly, he knew I wasn't as okay as I was trying to make myself out to be. Weirdly enough, I thought it should've been the other way around, that Dean was aware while Sam paid no attention, since I had been with Dean the last four years, unless he was so used to my weird mood changes that he paid no attention anymore?

"Okay, where do we start?" I asked, which was a stupid question really, because we had no idea where to look, so I guess we were heading back to the library.

"Back to the library, see if there are any records on what happened to Jacob Karns's hook" Sam answered my question and I sighed before nodding, blinking away the black spots that appeared in my vision at the movement. I just hoped I would still be able to function, but the Impala was outside, so I would just look for the medication that I kept in my duffel, something that was no longer strange after this happened for the first time. Occasionally I still had the headache, just without everything else and without having these strange feelings.

I followed the boys down the corridor and back to the elevator but Dean was in front and Sam was walking next to me. I could feel his eyes on me and it was making me paranoid.

"Would you cut it out?" I asked, looking up at him and blinking in pain at the light that was hanging just over his head.

"What?" he asked and I looked away, blinking the swirling light out of my vision before looking back up at him and sighing when he kept looking at me.

"Looking at me like that. It's annoying and making me paranoid" I stated as Dean stopped at the elevator, pressing the button to call it to us. Sam sighed and shook his head, glancing away at Dean before looking back at me and I groaned as the pain flared up behind my eyes again as I felt Sam take my hand and link my arm through his. I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face so I looked at him, sending the smile in his direction but he replied with a frown.

"I don't like it when this happens Ali. The last time it happened was after… Jess" he said, struggling to say the words. I just shrugged as Dean tapped his foot, impatiently waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"I'm fine Sam, just feeling a little weird, don't worry" I sighed and he snorted, shaking his head as he did so.

"Great, now I'm actually worrying. When you play it off like that, it means something is wrong Als, I know you well enough to know that, even if you have changed a little over the last four years. Dean can't see it, but I can. I know something's wrong and I want you to know that I'm here for you" he said and I smiled at him gratefully as the doors slid open and Dean walked in, followed by us. He pressed the button for the ground floor when we were safely inside.

"Thanks, but you don't need to worry. I'll be fine Sammy" I replied quietly so that Dean wouldn't hear too much of the conversation and become too curious. Sam sighed and shook his head, but left it at that. Hey, we all had our secrets and I wasn't about to spill mine when I knew Sam wouldn't be spilling his anytime soon. No reason to make my boys scared of me. I doubted that would happen, since we all loved each other, but there was a part of me that was scared that would happen.

The doors slid open and we exited the elevator, the people waiting for it climbing in after us as we made our way out of the hospital, my arm still in Sam's for support since my legs were heavy and a little wobbly. He obviously knew that and that was why he'd linked my arm through his in the first place. That was something I loved about Sam, he was always thoughtful and always tended to put other people before him, which was an admirable trait in anyone. Dean was the same, but sometimes he had a line that he wouldn't cross.

We headed over to the Impala and I eagerly slid into the backseat, taking out the pills and placing two of them in my mouth, followed by a large gulp of water to help me swallow them. I swallowed the gag reflex that swallowing painkillers always gave me and hurriedly placed them back in my duffel, holding the bottle of water so that I didn't appear suspicious to the boys. They didn't need to worry about me, but the look Sam shot me over his shoulder told me that he was worrying about me, even though Dean wasn't aware. The engine started, making the car rumble and Dean pulled out of the parking space.

"Here's something, I think. Log book, Iowa State Penitentiary" Dean began and I looked up from the papers I had been reading to see that he was looking at something.

"Karns, Jacob. Personal affects; disposition thereof" he said, obviously reading something from the papers in front of him.

"Does it mention the hook?" Sam and I asked. Dean frowned at us before shaking his head.

"Yeah, I think" he said, focusing back on the papers in front of him, so that he could read from them again.

"'Upon execution, all earthy items shall be remanded to the prisoner's house of worship, St Barnabas Church'" he said and I frowned in thought. St Barnabas? Holy shit!

"Isn't that where Lori's father preaches?" Sam and I asked, obviously coming to the conclusion at the same time. Dean frowned again.

"Jeez, get a room you two" he said and I rolled my eyes as Sam chuckled lightly but I focused back on my brother, lifting my eyebrows curiously. He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah" he stated, telling us that we were right.

"Where Lori lives?" Sam asked and Dean nodded again.

"Yeah, makes sense really, maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverend's daughters for the past two hundred years" Dean replied and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah but if the hook were at the church or Lori's house, don't you think someone might've noticed it? I mean, a silver, blood-stained hook?" Sam asked and I shrugged, he had a point there, it would be hard to miss and even harder to ignore the thing.

"Church records?" I suggested and the boys nodded in response as Sam walked off to collect the church records while Dean and I waited.

"So…?" he began and I felt my eyebrows twitch in amusement.

"So" I replied, a smile on my face as Dean looked at little uncomfortable.

"You and Sam" he began, but Sam soon returned. I frowned at my brother curiously, what was that about? And why did he seem so nervous? Oh shit, he wasn't upset because I'd been sleeping with Sam at night was he? What if Dean was feeling left out? Damn, I needed to make sure he knew that I wasn't picking favourites!

After about another hour of flicking through the church records Sam cleared his throat, announcing that he had found something so Dean and I turned to look at him eagerly.

"'St Barnabas donations, eighteen sixty two. Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary. Re-forged'" he read from the records and I groaned as he sighed.

"They melted it down, made it into something else" he stated and I snorted.

"Wow, people are so fucking stupid. Why would you melt down a murder weapon and make it into something else?" I asked, throwing my hands in the air in annoyance. People really were stupid. Dean grinned, obviously agreeing with me but Sam shrugged.

"You'd be surprised at what people will do Als" he sighed and I twitched my nose in thought, but kept quiet not wanting to say something and have it turn into an argument, so I sighed tiredly and nodded instead.

"Okay, let's go make a fire" I sighed and Dean smiled at me as we pushed ourselves to our feet, collecting everything up and getting rid of them before heading out to the Impala where we climbed in and Dean drove us over to the church. I looked out of the window, sighing at how dark it had become over the last few hours, but still feeling calm. I hated the daytime, it was too bright and freaked me out. I preferred the dark, which considering the job we do is a little weird, but I like how quiet it becomes when everyone goes to sleep and how the blanket of darkness can be soothing, even though it can bring things that go bump in the night with it. Apart from that day when my parents and sister died, I had always liked the night hours, but I was a night owl, especially when the nightmares become too much that I can't sleep. When that happens I stay as quiet as possible so as not to wake the boys, even though Sam still has trouble sleeping, some days he will sleep the whole way through, others he won't sleep at all and stays up with me. On the nights that he does sleep I listen to my music on my iPod and draw, although the drawings are slightly horrific, but they aren't conscious drawings, I focus on the music and let my mind wander and guide my hand however it wants to go. But on the nights that Sam can't sleep we just stay up and talk about anything and everything and even though the poor guy isn't getting the sleep that he needs, I can't help but look forward to those nights, which is selfish, but I have Sam with me to keep me company, I can talk to him about anything and not have to worry about saying something that he might take the wrong way, unlike Dean, since he either takes what I say in a dirty way or just a different way altogether that I don't understand. Sam is laid back and easier to talk to, or sometimes he'll just hug me when the memories become too much for the both of us.

I blinked, turning away from the window and my thoughts as Dean stopped the car and switched the engine off where we then proceeded to climb out of the car.

"Alright, we can't take any chances. Anything silver goes in the fire" Dean stated and I nodded, that was a fair enough thing to say. We couldn't take the chance with these peoples' lives.

"I agree. So Lori's still at the hospital, we'll have to break in" Sam stated, wait what? How does he know she's still at the hospital? Did I black out so much that I didn't hear him on the phone or something? That was a possibility actually. Dean nodded in reply.

"Okay, take your pick" he said and Sam thought for a moment.

"I'll take the house" he stated and we nodded in reply.

"I'll come with you then Dean" I stated and my brother turned to grin seductively at me so I rolled my eyes at him.

"Not like that pervert" I sighed and Sam scoffed a laugh as Dean sighed, turning to face him.

"Ok" he nodded, and Sam nodded back before turning around and starting towards the reverend's house.

"Hey!" Dean called and Sam stopped, before turning around to face us.

"Stay out of her underwear drawer" Dean joked and I imagined Sam rolling his eyes before he turned around and began walking towards the house again. I snorted and smacked him over the head. He winced and glared at me.

"Dude, not every guy is a pervert like you. Just because you would rummage around in her underwear drawer" I stated and Dean shrugged in reply.

"Like you said, I'm a pervert and a perverted guy with needs" he stated and I shuddered.

"Yuk, I didn't need to know that" I stated and he chuckled, before ruffling my hair fondly.

"My innocent little sister" he said, but it sounded more patronising than anything.

"Move your wrinkly ass granddad" I sighed and he pouted, so I rolled my eyes and pushed him in the direction of the church. He groaned.

"My ass is not wrinkly" he grumbled and I laughed quietly.

"Yeah it is" I stated as we walked in the direction of the church.

I handed a bag full of stuff to Dean and he threw it into the fire that we had started in the fireplace in the basement of the church.

"Okay, so I got everything that even looked silver" Sam stated as I heard his footsteps hurrying down the steps before he approached us and handed the bag full of his things from the house to Dean who nodded and threw some of it into the fire.

"Better safe than sorry" he said and I bit my lip at the saying that my dad said a lot, just as dust fell from the ceiling followed by footsteps moving around upstairs. I glanced at the boys as Dean and I pulled the guns out that we always kept on us.

"Move, move" he urged us and Sam started up the stairs again closely followed by Dean and I.

We walked through the doorway that led directly inside the church, just at the back of the room behind all of the pews. I gripped my gun tightly, pointing it in front of me ready to shoot the Hook Man because it was already loaded with rock salt but he wasn't there. Instead I heard crying so I looked at the front and saw the familiar head of Lori. I turned to frown at Dean and he frowned back before shrugging, obviously as confused as I was before we both lowered our guns, before tucking them away, so my gun went back into the strap on the inside of my right boot. Dean and I looked at Sam before shrugging where we backed up, the two of us disappearing down the stairs back into the basement, allowing Sam to deal with the woman. He was good at the touchy feely stuff, I was as well when I needed to be, but Lori knew him better and she trusted him, so Sam was the best for the job.

We finished burning the silver that Sam had brought from the house in the bag while I kept an ear on things above us; it seemed quiet for the time being. I handed the stuff to Dean so that he wouldn't have to keep digging around in the bag for the items to throw into the fire. We worked in silence before I thought of something.

"Dean what were you gonna say in the library to me earlier?" I asked and he looked up at me before sighing and shaking his head, turning back to place the final few items into the fire and standing up next to me as we watched the items burn before he shrugged.

"I just wondered if-" he began just as loud banging and smashing noises were heard from upstairs. I frowned and stood still listening intently for a moment before turning to look at Dean who seemed to be doing the same.

"Either Sam and Lori are having fun or…" he trailed off looking at me and I shook my head.

"No, we need to go" I stated and Dean nodded before sighing.

"That's what I thought" he said as we hurried over to the stairs and emerged into the church, in time to see the Hook Man disappear through a door at the far end of the room. I pulled my gun out and held it up in front of me, motioning for Dean to follow me with my head before leading him, in a hurry in the direction that Hook man had disappeared through, noting that Sam and Lori were no longer in this part of the church, which meant that they had run in that direction to escape the spirit, but he had followed them.

Dean moved in front of me, obviously so that he could protect me if the spirit turned on us, not that I expected him too, unless Lori saw us as a threat, because I'd gathered from researching in the library, that the boys thought Jacob Karns was latching onto Lori's repressed emotions about how she didn't like Rich for pushing her into sex, didn't like Taylor for trying to turn her into a party girl, and didn't like her dad for the fact that he was having an affair with a married woman. She had issues, and she seriously believed in punishment from what I had heard from the boys.

Dean moved out quickly, standing with his legs slightly apart with his gun raised in front of him.

"Sam, drop" he instructed and I saw Sam crouch to the floor, near to Lori as Dean squeezed the trigger, the gun going off and releasing the rock salt bullet straight into the spirit of Jacob Karns. He disappeared into dust for the moment and I stepped out from behind Dean.

"What the fuck? I thought we'd gotten all the silver?" I asked as Sam opened his mouth to say something similar. Dean sighed and I frowned at Sam, noticing his arm was hurt since I could see blood staining his shirt.

"So did I" he stated and I looked at Sam who was frowning.

"Then why is he still here?" he asked and Dean shrugged in response.

"Well we must have missed something" he stated and I bit my lip as I frowned in thought, but as far as I knew Dean and I had gathered all of the silver from the church but I looked around, searching for any silver that may have been left in here, since I didn't check this room but Dean must have.

"Lori, where did you get that necklace?" Sam asked and I turned to the woman sitting beside him on the floor to see that she was wearing a cross, which looked silver, on a silver chain.

"My father gave it to me" she stated and I frowned.

"Take it off" I urged and she frowned at me but Sam tried a different tactic.

"Where'd your father get it?" he asked and I huffed before rolling my eyes, this was taking too much time. The necklace was fucking silver! I knew that! But I knew jewellery really well.

"He said it was a church heirloom" she stated and I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"Is it silver?" Sam exclaimed and Lori's eyes widened before she nodded.

"Yes" she replied and Sam reached out, grabbed the necklace and pulled it off Lori's neck, causing the chain to snap as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I turned to look into the hallway, just as scratching was heard and I saw the lines appear on the wall. I turned back and looked at Sam with wide eyes.

"Sam!" I urged and he threw the chain to me before I turned and Dean stood in my way but I shook my head and pushed him aside.

"Ali!" both Dean and Sam exclaimed, but now was not the time for them to argue with me. I was faster than both of them together, especially Sam since his arm was hurt, though I had a feeling they would both be pissed at me when I returned.

I dug my heels into the floor, propelling myself forwards quickly, disappearing out through the room and back into the church, hearing a gunshot go off behind me, meaning that Sam or Dean had shot at the invisible Hook Man since he was obviously there, as the scratches didn't just appear on their own.

I raced down the aisle, passed the pews before opening the door to the basement, letting it slam open behind me as I jumped down the stairs and threw the necklace into the fire, my heart beating in my chest as I did so since it was pumping blood around my body as well as pumping out of fear and adrenaline.

"Come on" I urged, hoping that with those words the chain and pendant would burn quicker, as I was aware of the time ticking down but I watched as the pendant broke off from the chain, the chain already starting to melt, before I watched the fire absorb the pendant, seeing it melt. That was enough for me, it wouldn't take the pendant long to melt now, but I needed to get back upstairs to my boys.

I turned and used the banisters either side of the steps to push myself up the stairs quicker before I ran back the way I had come, bursting through the door just in time to see the crosses on the Hook Man's hook start to melt, soon followed by him.

He disappeared and I let out a breath before looking at Dean who was looking at Sam and Lori, where they were sitting next to each other, Lori huddled into Sam's side on the floor.

"Everyone okay?" I asked and Dean turned at my voice before rushing over and encompassing me in a bone crushing hug. I groaned and awkwardly wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face into his shoulder and breathing in his masculine scent that I always associated with him.

"You're a pain in my ass" he stated before pulling away, keeping his hands resting on my shoulder as I frowned up at him.

"What did I do this time?" I asked in disbelief and he smiled slightly before kissing my forehead and moving away giving me the chance to look at Sam and Lori. I hurried over to them and held my hands out for Lori to grip, so I could pull her to her feet next to me. I kept my arm around her waist for a moment to keep her steady and she nodded so I let her go and turned my attention to Sam, shaking my head at him and sending him a small smile.

"You, my friend, are a bloody magnet" I sighed and he frowned at me in confusion before shifting his weight so I crouched next to him and placed his arm around my neck and wrapping my arms around his back and torso, pulling him up with me when I straightened. He smiled down and nodded at me before I turned to look at Dean who smiled at me.

"Come on, let's get you some medical care" I sighed and saw Dean turn to Sam and wince a little as his shoulder.

"Jeez Sam, what is it with you and getting hurt" Dean said and I rolled my eyes as him, letting go of Sam as I did so and snorting.

"Yeah Sammy, here was me thinking I was the clumsy one" I grinned and he glared at me before sticking his tongue out and I turned my attention to Lori who was standing there awkwardly.

"How are you doing Lori?" I asked and she looked at me, before giving me a weak smile so I tapped Sam's back before walking over to her and wrapping my arm around her shoulders where she hugged me quickly so I hugged her back tightly.

"It's okay now, it's over" I reassured her and she pulled back, before taking in a shaky breath and nodding.

"Okay" she whispered in return and I turned to Dean before nodding. He nodded back in reply, knowing what I meant.

I waited by the car as Dean talked to the sheriff just a little way away, but close enough that I could still hear their conversation. We had called the police and also requested an ambulance for Sam, and maybe Lori if she was in shock. Dean was talking to the sheriff, explaining things and I was waiting by the car for him to finish talking and for Sam to finish getting patched up.

"And you saw him too? The man with the hook?" the sheriff asked, and it sounded to me as though he didn't believe the story we had all given him. Dean nodded.

"Yes, I told you, we all saw him. We fought him off and he ran away" he replied. And the sheriff sighed.

"And that's all?" he asked and Dean held back the huff I knew he was dying to release but he didn't think it was a good idea to do that in the presence of a cop.

"Yes that's all" he replied and the sheriff nodded before looking over at me with a frown and turning back to Dean.

"Look, you, your girlfriend and your brother-" he began and Dean rolled his eyes before waving his hand.

"Don't worry we're leaving" he replied, before walking over to me, where I was leaning against the driver's side of the Impala. Dean walked over and placed his hands on my hips before leaning against me, where I wrapped my arms around his neck, we did have to keep up pretences after all and we'd told the cops and Lori that we were together, which was a pain really, since it was easy to forget. Saying we were siblings was easier because our actual relationship wasn't exactly touchy-feely which is what you would expect from a normal relationship, not that anything about us was normal.

"We are not using this cover again" Dean grinned, his face close to mine so that it looked like he was kissing me to anyone behind him. I grinned in reply.

"I was just thinking the same thing. It's weird, plus it's easy to forget that we are supposed to be dating since we don't have that sort of relationship" I shrugged and Dean nodded in reply.

"So I don't get one kiss?" he asked and I bit my lip as I laughed before shaking my head in reply.

"Nope" I said before sticking my tongue out and Dean grinned.

"You do realise that I have you trapped against the car right? I could easily kiss you if I wanted to" he joked and I rolled my eyes at him before shrugging.

"Okay go on then" I said and Dean's face showed shock which made me laugh so badly that I buried my face into his shoulder before pulling back to see that he still looked surprise. I snorted before coughing.

"Exactly, the idea is just as weird for you as it is for me" I shrugged again and Dean rolled his eyes at me before we both turned to look over at Sam and Lori, who were standing next to each other by the ambulance, talking.

"You think he'll make a move?" Dean asked and I frowned, before shaking my head.

"No, definitely not, but I wouldn't put it passed her" I shrugged and sensed Dean's questioning glance, making me shrug again.

"Look at how she's looking at him, her body language. She's leaning towards him and she is looking up at him in a way that says she is interested" I stated bluntly and Dean snorted, making me look at him as I saw Sam glance over at us momentarily. I frowned at my brother and he grinned knowingly.

"You don't sound too happy about that" he stated and I frowned before shrugging in reply.

"He can do better" I stated and Dean pushed away from me, chuckling to himself.

"What?" I asked and he shook his head, before moving me out of the way of the car so that he could climb in, still chuckling to himself. He was a strange guy. I rolled my eyes at myself and walked around the car, sliding into the backseat and glancing in the rear-view mirror, seeing that Dean was looking in his side mirror at them. Sam smiled and nodded at Lori and she looked at him eagerly, before he turned and walked over to us. Dean sighed and I leaned over the seat to place my head next to his.

"You sound disappointed?" I asked and he shrugged in reply but said nothing and I was aware of Sam walking over to the car.

"It's hard Dean. Your brother really loved Jess and it'll take a while for him to get over her. I can't see him eagerly jumping into a relationship with anyone anytime soon" I sighed and Dean turned his head to frown at me as Sam opened the door and climbed into the passenger side, shutting the door after him as Dean shook his head.

"It scares me that you are so aware of everything" he sighed and I frowned at him before sitting back in my chair.

"We could stay?" Dean asked and Sam sighed before shaking his head in reply. I bit my lip and frowned at the back of his head as Dean glanced at his side mirror one last time before sighing and shaking his head. I could feel his disappointment, either he was disappointed that he hadn't had a chance with Lori, or that Sam didn't take the opportunity to have his chance with her, but like I said to Dean that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Sam hadn't gotten over Jess and her death yet and I understood why Dean was thinking like that, he was worried about his brother, just like I was.

Dean started the engine and pulled away from the church before we soon drove out of Ankeny.

"How's the shoulder Sammy?" I asked and heard him huff at the nickname which made me laugh slightly.

"It's doing okay, should be healed quickly hopefully" he replied and I nodded in reply, happy with the reply.

"And you two? You should consider getting together, you make a cute couple and would make me cute nieces and nephews" Sam replied and Dean and I looked at him before gagging.

"Ew, gross!" I exclaimed and Sam snorted as Dean flicked his eyes to me in the rear mirror.

"Are you trying to say that I'm not good enough to have kids with?" he asked and I rolled my eyes at him before shrugging.

"With other women then no, you would make cute kids Dean, but with me yes, I'd prefer to be an Aunt than a mom" I shrugged in reply and Dean shrugged before nodding.

"Fair enough, I'd prefer you to be an Aunt than a mom too" he replied and I snorted.

"What even if you were the dad?" I asked and Sam shuddered.

"Okay you two, we need to check into a motel so you can have a room" Sam said and I shivered before swallowing.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit" I stated before shrugging and Sam looked at me over his shoulder, sending me a grin over his shoulder before I hit Dean on the arm.

"So hurry up and settle down dude, Sam and I want a niece or nephew" I stated and we all burst out laughing.

"That was a good one Als" Sam grinned and I laughed before nodding.

"I thought so to" I said and Dean turned to frown at Sam.

"What's so funny? I'd make a great dad" he said and I snorted.

"Yeah you would, but the idea of you settling for one woman and actually having kids is hilarious" I shrugged before snorting.

"It's more likely that I will be settled and have kids" I stated and Dean glared at me through the rear-view mirror.

"No, because I'll kill any guy who touches you" he stated and I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean" I sighed and Dean nodded as he grinned.

"Yeah, you're being a sarcastic bitch because the idea of you having kids is laughable too" he replied and I shrugged as Sam frowned.

"Why's that?" he asked and I looked at him, lifting my eyebrows in response.

"Can you really see me having kids? Or slowing down long enough to actually meet a guy?" I asked and Sam frowned before shrugging.

"Anything is possible" he replied and I shook my head.

"It is for you perhaps Sam. You know you can live a normal life, heck you would get plenty of girls throwing themselves at you, because my boys are hot, not that I need to brag since you are both aware of that" I stated and Dean started laughing as Sam turned to look at me in shock but I grinned and shrugged in reply.

"Anyways, my point being you could have your pick, but the idea of me doing anything other than Hunting is weird. I can't actually picture it and I've always had an active imagination" I shrugged and Sam frowned at me.

"Oh please Als, you're pretty and you're smart" he shrugged and I rolled my eyes as I snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. This wasn't a pity party Sammy, I'm just stating, I don't need you giving me compliments. Even when I'm old and you guys have settled down I'll still be a Hunter" I shrugged and Sam frowned at me over his shoulder as Dean frowned at me through the rear-view but neither of them said anything, simply because I knew that Sam would settle down as soon as he had the chance. I could see Dean doing the same except he would take a little longer to settle down. I could see him still being my partner when Sam had a five year old and Sam nagging us to settle down, that there are other people to pick up where we left off and Dean and I refusing, but then he would find someone, perhaps a woman that we helped, or a woman from his past that he developed feelings for, got married to and had kids with, while I was left on my own doing the only thing I knew I could do, either that or I would get a normal job during the week and hunt during the weekend. Whatever happened I wouldn't settle down and weirdly enough, I wanted to but couldn't see it happening. I wanted this life to be over with at some point but after everything I'd been through, I'd be unable to get close to anyone. I would probably only be happy whenever I saw Sam and Dean and stayed for Sunday lunch while playing with their kids.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them, realising that I had been staring out of the window which was a good thing because I could feel a tear running down my cheek. At least Sam and Dean couldn't see it, couldn't see how the idea of them moving on and leaving me on my own hurt. Just like Dean, I believed that would happen to me some day. But it was more likely that I would be left alone, left to live this life with no one to turn to while they lived the lives they were meant to, the lives that I wanted them to live, that their mom would've wanted them to live and the lives that I knew John wanted for them, not that he would say that to them and it wasn't my place to say such things. I sighed quietly.

"How about food?" I asked, glad when my voice was clear and calm and didn't waver. The boys snorted at my question.

"You and food" Dean sighed but knew he would drive in search of a diner where we could stop off for breakfast, he was probably just as hungry as I was. I sighed and rested my head against the back of the chair, watching the scenery fly past the window as Dean fiddled with some cassettes and Sam groaned as he inserted our favourite AC/DC tape. We loved that band though and Sam had no say in the matter. I turned at smiled at Dean in the rear-view mirror and he returned my smile.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- Bugs

"Oh please little lady" the man snorted and I sent him a sweet smile before shrugging in reply.

"Okay your loss, you are obviously too scared of a woman" I shrugged and he rolled his eyes as his friends laughed and slapped him on the shoulders or back. I shrugged and turned to walk off.

"Your loss, you could've had a chance to win some money, but now I guess you'll never know" I said over my shoulder before walking off in the direction of where Dean was playing pool at the far end of the bar.

Sam being the doorstop that he was had decided to wait outside for a while and look at local newspapers while Dean and I did our thing. I approached the pool table and leaned against it, sending the guy Dean was playing a flirtatious smile and leaning over a little more. He gulped and his eyes slid down to my chest but I pretended not to notice and instead looked at Dean who rolled his eyes at me as I winked at him, sending him a grin before looking back at his opponent and fluttering my eyelashes which made him shift and swallow again before I moved away and walked over to stand near to the pool table, where the guy kept looking at me, obviously I was putting him off which was good because it was the plan. I smiled at him whenever he looked over at me and saw him smile back in a way that he thought was seductive, but it wasn't working.

Soon enough the game finished and Dean won easily, though I didn't know how much he had won, not that it mattered just as long as it was enough to keep us going for this next job, if Sam had found something out front.

Someone grabbed my arm as I walked off and I saw the guy I had been talking to earlier. He smirked at me confidently.

"Okay then, I'll take you up on your offer" he drawled and I lifted my eyebrows at him, shaking his hand off my arm.

"Yeah. What changed your mind?" I asked and he grinned before shrugging and his friends laughed from behind him. He grinned at me and I ignored what it was that I knew he was thinking, guys in bars only thought one thing, especially with women around and I made sure I showed more flesh than what I usually would do, which always made Dean uncomfortable though I never understood why. The guy shrugged at me.

"I figured it would be easy" he said and I smiled in reply.

"What makes you think that?" I asked as he led me over to the empty dartboard before he turned to me, handing me a set of three darts.

"Because if you win, you get the money and credit cards in my wallet, but if I win, I get a night with you" he said, winking at me and I rolled my eyes at his confidence, but bit my lip, making it look as though I was thinking it over. I'd made out that I liked to play darts and wanted a game but the guy wouldn't play me when we included money, now of course, since I had acted as though I didn't know much about the game, he was confident that he would win and therefore get a night with me. I sighed and shook my head in reply, going to turn him down.

"No, that isn't something I'm up for betting" I stated and his friends started laughing as he stepped closer to me, looking down at me since he was about two inches taller than Dean, wrapping his arms around me and placing his hands on my ass.

"You have nothing to be scared of, I'll take good care of you" he said, voice gruff and I grabbed his hands, taking them off my ass as I glared at him.

"Hands off my ass buddy, that isn't going to persuade me that you have a good package in your pants" I said, nodding down at his crotch which I could see had hardened slightly and he grinned at me wickedly.

"Ooh feisty" he said and I shrugged in reply as I felt an arm touch my lower back making me start and the guy to look up over my head before he frowned.

"Back off buddy" he said and I stepped back into the arm, as it wrapped around my waist before looking up at Dean who grinned down at me.

"Hey babe" he said and I bit my tongue to keep myself from laughing.

"Hey yourself" I said and he bent down, placing a chaste kiss on the corner of my lips, this was the only time that we allowed ourselves to be 'a couple' because usually in bars Dean pretended he was worried when guys like this bet that they could have a one night stand with me if I lost, Dean pretended to be the protective boyfriend and we sometimes got a little too drunk and actually kissed which turned on some of the guys in the bar, though we both usually ended up throwing up afterwards.

"There a problem here?" Dean asked, looking at the guy opposite me.

"Of course not honey, I was just gonna have a game of darts with him" I said and the guy grinned at me before winking.

"Sure, and what are the odds?" Dean asked and the guy smirked at him.

"I get to fuck your girl tonight when she loses to me" he stated and Dean took a step forwards, so I placed my hand on his chest, to push him back as we went through the usual motions everytime this happened, but I could feel Dean's hand turning into a fist on my lower back. We had been doing this for the last year, since we could earn double the money with both Dean and I hustling people but Dean hated how guys talked about me. He was way too protective of me.

"Well that isn't happening, come on babe" Dean said and I frowned, digging my heels into the ground.

"Kyle, I love you but you need to stop being an ass" I frowned, using his fake name. Dean turned to look back at me.

"An ass?" he asked and I nodded, before crossing my arms.

"Yes an ass you airhead. Do you have no faith in me?" I asked, before pouting and saw his face 'soften' before he walked over and gathered me in his arms.

"Of course I do Kari, I just don't like the idea of him having his hands all over you" he frowned, glaring at the oaf behind me. I grinned and Dean bit his lip, the two of us trying our best to not piss ourselves laughing, before I stood on my tiptoes and lightly pressed my lips to Dean's, before pulling away and he sighed before nodding.

"I'll be okay, I promise" I said, looking up at him and he groaned, before closing his eyes and turning to the guy.

"You're lucky my girl is so damn stubborn, if I had my way I would drag her away from your player ass" he hissed and the guy smirked.

"You seem worried?" he asked and Dean closed his eyes briefly, swallowing before opening them and clenching his jaw, looking away to me and kissing my head. I shrugged at the guy, sending him a small, scared smile, which made him grin in triumph. He obviously thought from my reaction as well as Dean's that he had this in the bag which he had better get ready to cry, since I knew from him buying me a drink earlier that he had about $300 in his wallet as well as a platinum credit card which I think he said had up to $500 on it at the moment.

"You go first" I sighed in defeat, nodding towards the board and he grinned before nodding, turning his back to throw his first dart as I turned to look at Dean who was sitting at the bar and he winked at me encouragingly, but still looked slightly tense.

"I can't believe it! You hustled me!" the guy exclaimed and I frowned at him.

"No I didn't, what a thing to say" I replied and he snorted, looking pissed off.

"Yeah you did, you said you couldn't play" he replied and I rolled my eyes.

"No I said I couldn't play well" I shrugged and he threw his arms out in frustration.

"Exactly, you led me on!" he exclaimed, obviously frustrated and I shook my head.

"No I didn't, I don't play well normally. I suppose it was just my lucky day" I shrugged, before holding my hand out.

"So come on, cough up, or are you going back on your word?" I questioned and he glared, before removing his wallet from his back pocket. He went to give me the wallet before pausing and shaking his head at me.

"I want a rematch" he said and I snorted before shrugging.

"You're just a sore loser, I won that fair and square" I stated and the guy shrugged, he didn't care, he just wanted to get laid and I would've been an easy lay if I'd lost. Arms wound themselves around my waist and Dean kissed my temple.

"Well done babe, I'm proud of you, you seem to be improving" he said, helping out and I turned to the side, allowing me to smile at him before waving my arm at the guy.

"Yeah, well he is being a sore loser" I stated and Dean sighed, before removing his phone from his pocket and looking at me, shrugging in reply.

"Well my brother has just text saying he's here to pick us up" he stated, which was a load of shit because Sam had been waiting outside for the past two hours. I frowned and turned to look at the guy.

"Seems I don't have time for that rematch, so be a good sport and had over your wallet please?" I asked politely and he frowned before shaking his head as one of his friends clapped his shoulder.

"Come on Drew, she did win it fair and square, it isn't her fault that she had a bit of luck today" his friend tried to reason and the guy, Drew, shrugged before nodding and sighing, handing his wallet over to me. I smiled in reply.

Drew, was a handsome guy. He was two inches taller than Dean, so I'd say he wasn't far off six foot. He was well built, his body reminding me of a young Hunter, such as Dean in that he was too muscly to be lean, but not body builder type, and I knew this because the grey tee he was wearing was tight and revealed the muscles in his arms as well as the firmness of his torso. He had long-ish hair, where the ends curled behind his ears, so it was a little shorter than Sam's and was a caramel colour, in that his hair was light brown with streaks of golden blonde in, giving the effect of caramel hair and he had beautiful, light hazel eyes to match but he had a smirk that suggested he was hot and he knew it. Though I'd wiped that smirk off his face.

"Thanks, but don't feel bad, you're surprisingly good" I shrugged and the guy sent me a small smile, which I returned and walked over to him where I tiptoed and kissed his cheek, before turning away and walking over to Dean.

"Ready to go?" he asked and I nodded before he took my head and led us outside, where we saw Sam sitting on the hood of the Impala, reading a newspaper. Dean and I started laughing, before high fiving each other, but apparently that wasn't a good enough celebration because he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, making me squeal.

"Dean put me down, otherwise Sam will see up my shorts" I groaned and heard both guys laughing, before he placed me on my feet and ruffled my hair as we walked over to Sam, Dean laughing and waving a wad of cash.

"You know, we could get day jobs once in a while" Sam started and I rolled my eyes.

"Hunting is our day jobs, and the pay sucks" Dean replied, making Sam shake his head in reply.

"Yeah but hustling pool, credit card scams? It's not the most honest job in the world, Dean" Sam said and I shrugged. He had a point.

"Yeah Sammy, you're right there, it isn't the most honest job, but we save people doing it and the only way we can do that is for Dean and I to work our charm, it isn't our fault that people are too stupid to see through my innocent act and bet outrageous amounts of money against me" I shrugged and Dean nodded in reply.

"Although that guy was really in to you" he stated and Sam frowned between the two of us.

"What guy?" he asked and I shrugged, holding up the wallet.

"The guy whose money I just got. And just because he bet that if I lost he gets to have sex with me, doesn't mean that he's into me" I said, rolling my eyes at Dean and he shrugged in reply.

"Sure, whatever you say sis" he sighed and I frowned at him as he looked at Sam.

"We have a gig or what?" Dean asked and Sam sighed, looking down at the newspaper that he was holding.

"Maybe. Oasis Plain, Oklahoma, not far from here. A gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, supposedly died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob" Sam stated and Dean frowned at his brother.

"Huh?" he asked and I laughed.

"Human mad cow disease, Dean" I said and he frowned at me weirdly before sighing and nodding in thought.

"Mad cow? Wasn't that on Oprah?" he asked and Sam and I both turned to frown at him.

"You watch Oprah?" we asked and he opened his mouth before closing it and frowning in embarrassment before thinking of a way to change the topic.

"So, this guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our thing?" Dean asked and I rolled my eyes at him, walking over to Sam where I opened the door to the backseat and opened up Dean's duffel.

"Mad cow disease causes degeneration of the brain. It can take months, even years for the damage, but this guy Dustin? Sounds like his brain disintegrated in about an hour" Sam stated and I turned to frown at him as I pulled out one of Dean's sweaters and pulled it over my head, since he was taller so the shirt stopped just above my knee since I was wearing short shorts and a figure hugging tank top, that showed off a lot of flesh. I'd known Sam and Dean my whole life, but I never showed off this flesh and I felt uncomfortable dressed like this in front of them. It was hard walking into a bar dressed like that too, but it was needed for us to get enough cash to survive.

"Okay, that's weird" Dean stated and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, now it could be some sort of disease, or it could be something else" Sam reasoned and Dean nodded.

"Alright, Oklahoma it is then" he stated, before climbing into the car as Sam walked around to the other side with me and we slid into our seats.

"Work, work, work, no time to spend my money" he said and I rolled my eyes at him before shaking my head as he frowned at me through the rear-view.

"Why are you wearing my sweater?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Well because your duffel was on top, besides I wasn't gonna rummage around in Sam's" I said and Dean frowned, still confused as Sam looked at me over his shoulder.

"Well, my duffel is probably safer compared to Dean's" he stated and I shrugged before nodding.

"Yeah it probably is, but I've seen Dean's porno magazines lying around the motel rooms plenty of times before so it doesn't bother me anymore. Whereas if I found one in your duffel, I wouldn't be able to look at you in the same way Sammy" I stated and he chuckled slightly so I smiled at him before turning to look at Dean in the mirror and shrugging.

"Besides, I'm only wearing it to cover myself up until we get into a motel and I'll change then" I stated and Dean nodded in reply but didn't say anything.

"What no witty or perverted comeback?" I asked and he snorted before shaking his head at me.

"No Ali, I can't wait for you to change into your normal clothes" he stated and I frowned at him.

"If you think you get to watch then you can think again" I stated and Dean sighed in annoyance.

"Ali, just because I find it amusing to make those sort of jokes about you, doesn't mean I would actually stand in a room and watch you change. I had to sit down with you when you were eight and a half and explain sex to you, which is not something I want to go through again. Besides you may be my sister, but I'm not completely oblivious to the fact that you are developing. You have to understand how awkward it is when you wear more revealing clothes. Guys look at you Ali and I want nothing more than to rip their balls off to keep you safe from them" he stated and I frowned before smiling at him.

"Yeah the 'sex' talk was awkward, just because John didn't want to explain that to me himself" I rolled my eyes and both boys laughed slightly.

"Hey, it was awkward having that talk with our dad, imagine how awkward it would've been for you and him to have that talk" Dean said and I laughed.

"Yeah, it was awkward sitting down with you while you did that actually, but thanks Dean. I probably don't say it enough but thank you, for everything that you have done and probably will still do for me" I said, leaning forward to squeeze his shoulder and kiss his cheek.

"No you don't say it often enough, you ungrateful little shit" he said and we laughed at his joke.

"But you're welcome Ali, even though you don't need to thank me. I love you to bits and would do it all again in a heartbeat" he said and I kissed his cheek again before sitting back in my chair.

"You too Sam" I said and he looked at me, since he had angled himself earlier, before he cocked his head and frowned questioningly. I shrugged in reply.

"Every girl needs a best friend, whether that best friend is a guy or a girl. Dean may have played 'dad' to me, but you did so much to help me as well and I owe you both a lot" I said, shrugging and Sam smiled before shaking his head at me.

"You don't need to thank us Als, we did it because it was the right thing to do, we were thrown together constantly and we only ever had each other. Besides you've looked after us over the years as well, looked after us when we needed you and cared for us whenever we got hurt, so thank you" he shrugged and I smiled slightly, before leaning forwards and kissing Sam's cheek.

"Okay now enough with the lovey-dovey mush and let's have a beer" I said and Sam snorted.

"You really know how to kill a moment" he stated and I shrugged.

"Well I do try, besides I learn from the best" I said, before nudging Dean's shoulder, making him laugh in reply.

It was hard to not love the Winchester boys though. They were brilliant when they were younger and as they had matured they just became more special to me. They really had grown into wonderful young men and I was proud to say that I had done little bits in their life to help them out and that they had done so much in my life and were such large parts of my life. I knew that their mom would be so proud of them, and how they had turned out even after everything that had happened and John was proud of them too, but he didn't know how to express that. It went against his tough nature.

"I swear to god Dean, if you slap my ass again I'm going to slap you, in the balls, with my foot" I groaned and the boys laughed at me, so I pulled the covers over my head and snuggled back up to Sam, which made him laugh harder.

"Sam stop laughing, because the vibrations of your laughter keep tickling me" I huffed, burying my face into his stomach, but he laughed harder so I lifted my head to glare at him, which made him stop laughing and frown at me, pushing my hair out of my face so that he could look at me. I sighed and lay back down next to him as Dean pulled on the covers, thankfully not slapping my ass like he had been for the last ten minutes.

"I'm awake, fuck off you fanny" I grumbled which made the boys laugh again.

"Where do you think these things up?" Sam asked and I shrugged, wrapping my arm around his torso again to make myself comfortable and he didn't complain which I was happy about.

"Just things I've picked up over the last few years, especially last year since Dean started dragging me into bars with him" I yawned and could practically imagine Sam looking at Dean and glaring.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, she became an adult last year" Dean said and I snorted.

"That's your excuse for a lot of things. First parading me around as a prostitute, and now helping you hustle people" I yawned again and heard Dean mumbling under his breath before he slapped my ass again and I turned before swinging my leg out, fast enough that it would scare him, but slow enough that he could catch it and he smirked when he caught my ankle, but I slammed my heel into his wrist and pulled my ankle back under the covers, smirking at him in return.

"Dean, sweetheart, if I wanted to successfully kick you in your balls, you would be rolling around on the floor cupping your babies. I let you grab my ankle. Now move your ass, since I can't go back to sleep now" I sighed and Dean scowled before his face softened and he cupped my face in his hands, looking away. I huffed a sigh, my breath blowing into Dean's face.

"Yes I look like shit, no I did not sleep, yes I had a nightmare, no you cannot shower with me" I sighed, sliding out of the bed and walking right into the bathroom where I slammed the door closed after me and stripped off my clothes, walking into the shower cubicle and turning it on, standing under the spray as it went from hot to cold and hot again, but I wanted an ice cold shower, so I turned the temperature down.

"Fuck" I squealed as the cold water rushed down onto my skin, leaving me breathless for a moment before my body got used to it.

I scrubbed my hair, body and face as quickly as I could and twenty minutes later I had turned the shower off and was in the process of drying my body with one of the towels in the bathroom, since I'd forgotten to grab my own towel on my way to the bathroom, though my duffel was under the bed.

I wrapped the towel around my body, tucking it in so that it wouldn't fall off before I walked back into the room and grabbed my duffel from out under the bed and unzipped it, rifling through the crap in here before I found my matching underwear set, a pair of socks, my black jeans, though these were a little ripped from wear but made them better since it looked like the style before I reached in, searching for the top that I knew I had put in here and pulled it out, nodding when it was the one that I wanted. Dean walked over and picked it up, frowning at it before he smiled at me and I looked around to see that Sam was nowhere to be found, so he must've gone out to get coffee and breakfast. He would shower afterwards, when he came back, he usually did.

"Wasn't this your mom's?" he asked, referring to my black, AC/DC top that had once belonged to my mom, since it had been a gift to her from my dad for one of her birthdays. I grinned before nodding and hurrying into the bathroom again, where I put deodorant on and groaned when I saw that I had left Dean holding my top. I bit my lip, deciding whether he was still in the room for me to call to give me my top back, but after the conversation we'd had in the car on the way to the motel last night, I figured I would make things awkward and walk out how I was, besides I was in my bra, Dean had seen plenty of naked women before. I shrugged and opened the door before walking out.

"Sorry Ali, I have-" Dean began before turning around to hand me my top, probably thinking I would be in a towel still, but he paused and his cheeks coloured when he saw me standing there. He closed his eyes and held his hand, holding my top out.

"Thanks Dean, sorry I forgot to bring it with me" I said, taking the top off him and seeing Sam walk through the door, holding coffee and brown bags with food in.

"I'm b-" he began as I pulled the top over my head, before he shook his head at me.

"Hey Sammy, you got coffee?" I asked and he smiled awkwardly before nodding and I grinned.

"Awesome. Dean you can open your eyes now, I'm covered up" I snorted and saw him open one eye to check, before he opened the other one as well. I smirked at him and shook my head in amusement before skipping over to Sam and grabbing one coffee and one bag off him.

"This is why I love you Sammy" I stated and he laughed, rolling his eyes as he did so as I sat down on Dean's bed, my back against the headrest as I sipped my coffee and opened the bag to see that it was a bun of some sorts, but I didn't care what it was, it was food.

"So…Ali?" Dean asked and I sighed before taking a bite out of the bun and moaning at the buttery goodness, looking at Dean and shrugging at the question he was going to ask.

"No, it wasn't about my parents" I stated, adding another shrug to the end of the sentence. He frowned at me.

"How did you know I was gonna ask that?" he asked and I smiled slightly before shrugging.

"I know you well enough by now, plus you always ask me whenever it's obvious that I haven't slept the night before" I stated and he sighed before he frowned slightly.

"So, why have you been sleeping with Sam?" he asked and I frowned at the fact that he hadn't figured it out yet, then again when it came to things other than Hunting, Dean was a little slow, but not this slow.

"Well you take up most of the bed when I sleep with you, plus you fall asleep before me a lot of the time and there isn't much room for me to sleep with you" I shrugged before frowning.

"Plus, your body temperature is too high, so I get too hot at night, Sam's body temperature isn't that bad" I shrugged and Dean lifted his eyebrows making me groan.

"You're a pervert" I stated clearly and he grinned.

"You love me for it" he said and I sighed in reply, shaking my head before drinking my coffee and finishing the bun off as Sam disappeared into the bathroom to shower, obviously he took his clothes in with him, though I wouldn't have complained if he'd come out in nothing but a towel. Wait what? I coughed as I tried to swallow the remainder of coffee in my mouth, but ended up choking on it. Dean snorted and laughed in reply, not doing the nice thing, which would've been to come and tap me on the back.

I was still coughing ten minutes later when Sam appeared, which made him frown at Dean's hysterics and me coughing before he walked over and tapped my back lightly, where my coughs quietened a little, allowing me to take a sip of the little bit of coffee in my take out cup.

"Jeez, I've heard you coughing ever since I stepped out of the shower" he stated and I choked on the sip of coffee I'd just taken. Fuck, what was with me today? I could practically imagine how my mouth would water at the idea of Sam in a towel. Damn, sleeping next to him of a night was having some sort of bad effect on me. I looked up at Dean and saw him grinning at me in his perverted sort of way before he winked at me and I frowned at him in confusion as I coughed a little more and Sam tapped my back, before leaving his hand there and I bit my tongue against the warmth seeping into my body from that simple touch. Wow, I was having a weird day so far!

"Okay, we should go" I stated, pushing myself to my feet so that I could escape Sam's hand and grabbed my tan leather jacket off the back of the char that was tucked underneath the table in the room and shrugging into it.

"You're eager" Dean said, but I could tell by the tone in his voice that he was hinting at something else, but for once I didn't know what he meant so I shrugged it off and turned to Sam, raising my eyebrows questioningly and he nodded as I realised that I hadn't brushed my hair. I bit my lip and sighed before going over to my duffel and packing everything up where I took out a hair bobble and used it to tie my hair up into a ponytail, before twisting the ponytail around and using another hair bobble to secure it into a bun, before nodding to the boys and throwing my duffel over my shoulder, since we had stopped in this motel overnight, hoping to find a place closer to Oasis Plains to stay in.

I headed out of the door, grateful for the air which blew across my slightly flushed cheeks as it was a few degrees cooler than my red cheeks and I leant against my door, waiting for the boys who soon appeared and Dean walked over where he unlocked the car and I climbed in hastily, setting my bag down as I did so, Sam and Dean soon following my lead and throwing their duffels in the back next to me before climbing into the front. Dean frowned at me over his shoulder for a moment before he turned back and started the car, driving off in what I'm assuming was the direction of where the gas company were based.

It didn't take long and we soon pulled up outside of the Oklahoma Gas and Power building where there was a man standing outside near to a van. He was wearing the uniform and was fairly young, I'd say early thirties perhaps? With a mop of dark hair.

"Travis Weaver?" Sam asked as we approached and he turned around to face us, frowning slightly before he nodded.

"Yeah, that's me" he stated. Well obviously if you turned around at the name and nodded!

"Are you the Travis who worked with Uncle Dusty?" Dean asked and the man frowned.

"Dustin never mentioned nephews, or a niece" he added on after seeing me and I frowned in reply.

"Really? Because he mentioned you a lot. He always said you were the greatest" I replied, sounding confused, which made the man smile.

"Yeah" Sam and Dean agreed, backing me up.

"He did?" Travis asked, smiling slightly and I smiled back before nodding in reply.

"Listen, we wanted to ask you… what exactly happened out there?" Dean asked and Travis frowned before shrugging, obviously he didn't know either.

"I'm not sure, he fell into a sinkhole, I went to the truck to get some rope and by the time I got back, uh…" Travis replied and he sounded just as confused as what we were when Sam first mentioned the article last night.

"What did you see?" Dean asked and Travis shrugged.

"Nothin'. Just Dustin" he stated and I bit my lip at this. That was weird.

"Were there any wounds?" Sam asked curiously.

"Well he was bleeding… from his eyes, his nose, his ears, but that's it" he replied and I let out a quiet sigh, this was probably the strangest thing we had come across.

"So do you think it could be this mad cow disease?" I asked Travis and he turned to look at me before sighing and shaking his head.

"I don't know. That's what the doctors are sayin'" he drawled and I nodded slowly in response, but I myself wasn't convinced that that's what this was.

"But if it was, he would've acted differently, like dementia, loss of motor control; you ever notice anything like that?" Sam asked and Travis shook his head.

"No nothing like that, but if it wasn't this disease then what could it have been?" he asked and Dean sighed.

"Good question" he replied.

"You know, do you think you could tell us where this happened?" he asked Travis shrugged in reply.

"Yeah" he stated and I sighed before scanning the surrounding area as he told Sam and Dean where to go. Some sort of new housing site apparently but I wasn't paying much attention, instead I scouted out the area around the gas building but everything appeared normal, and I didn't get any weird feelings. Whatever it was it wasn't connected to the area around here.

I felt someone tap my arm and I looked back to see it was Dean and he was nodding for us to go so I nodded and walked back to the Impala which was parked a little way away before we got in and Dean drove off, following the directions that Travis had given him.

Soon enough we pulled into a construction site, where new houses had been built and some were in the process of completion. It was easy to spot where Dustin had died since there was police tape around the area. We all climbed out of the car and headed in the direction.

"Huh, so what do you think?" Dean asked as we approached the area, where the sinkhole became more visible.

"I don't know, but if that guy Travis was right, then it happened pretty quickly" Sam replied and I nodded as the three of us ducked underneath the tape before walking over to the sinkhole and I pulled out a flashlight from my jacket pocket before shining the light down into the hole.

"So what, some sort of creature munched on his brains?" Dean asked and I frowned as I guided the light around, but couldn't see any sign of any creature, though I couldn't really see much of anything.

"No there'd be an entry wound, sounds like this thing worked from the inside" Sam stated and Dean frowned, peering into the hole.

"Huh, looks like there's only room for one. Wanna flip a coin?" he suggested and I smirked at him, since when was he squeamish?

"Dean, we have no idea what's down there" Sam stated and Dean shrugged, before looking around and finding a coil of rope on the floor not far from where he was standing, so he walked over and picked it up, unwinding it as he walked back to us.

"Alright, I'll go if you're scared. You scared?" he said and Sam frowned at his brother, obviously not liking the fact that Dean had just called him a chicken.

"Flip the damn coin" Sam stated and I laughed quietly to myself. Dean was such a smartass; he was goading his brother so that he wouldn't have to go down the hole himself. Dean chuckled as he took a coin out of his back pocket.

Alright call it in the air… chicken" he taunted again, flipping the coin out of the air, which Sam snatched mid flip.

"I'm going" he stated and I snorted a laugh, covering it with a cough at Sam's stubbornness. Either he didn't like being called a chicken, or he was trying to prove to Dean that he could handle anything. I wasn't complaining because the idea of going down into a sinkhole with no idea of what was down there freaked me out, but I would go if I needed to, though I would prefer one of the boys to go down.

"I said I'd go" Dean said and Sam glared.

"I'm going" he pushed and Dean shrugged.

"Okay, go on" he replied and Sam huffed, collecting the rope and tying it around his waist and I walked around to Dean who tied the rope around his waist as well, to use his weight against Dean.

"Just don't drop me" Sam sighed and I smiled at the younger brother as he settled his weight back, stepping down into the hole and I stayed next to Dean, ready to lunge for the rope if I needed to help him pull Sam back up.

He descended down into the sinkhole and I kept lookout just in case any cops appeared so that I could tell Dean and we could pull Sam up, but I doubted that would happen.

Soon enough Sam tugged on the rope, making Dean stumbled forwards a few steps and me to cackle loudly at his surprised face.

"Shut it Ali and help me pull him up" he grumbled. I didn't shut up because his face was priceless but I did help Dean to pull Sam back up and saw that he looked a little disgusted, but I gathered that apart from the undergrowth and probably the smell, that Sam hadn't found anything of importance. He sighed as he approached the surface, frowning at me in confusion and I grinned.

"You missed a good chance to tease Dean" I snorted and Sam smiled curiously before we turned to go back to the Impala to re-group.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded, ignoring the glare that Dean was sending me. It wasn't my fault that I loved teasing him.

"Yeah, when you pulled on the rope, Dean wasn't expecting it and his face was a picture as well as the fact that he stumbled forwards a step or two" I said, grinning at Dean who was glaring daggers at me. Sam laughed and shook his head at me as we climbed into the Impala and I rested my arms on the seat, leaning on them so that I could place my head between the boys'.

"So, what'd you find?" I asked and Sam frowned, before fingering some bugs that were in his hand. I hissed and scooted away which made both Sam and Dean look at me curiously before they laughed and Dean started the car, before driving off.

"They're dead Als, don't worry" Sam reassured and I made a face of disgust at them but nodded in reply which made him smile and shake his head before he frowned down at them.

"That's a beetle right?" I asked and Sam nodded in reply which made Dean frown at look over at his brother before shrugging at him.

"So you found some beetles. In a hole in the ground. That's shocking Sammy" he said and I bit my lip, I couldn't help but agree with him, that wasn't anything worrying really.

"There were no tunnels, no tracks down there, no other creature of any kind, now some beetles do eat meat, it is usually dead meat but…" Sam started, answering Dean's question, but trailing of in reply.

"How many did you find down there?" Dean asked and Sam sighed.

"Ten" he stated and I frowned in reply.

"It'd take a whole load more to eat some dude's brain out" Dean stated and I rolled my eyes, wow he really is sympathetic isn't he?

"Well maybe there were more" Sam stated, as though Dean was being a little stupid, which he was being a little rash about this. There was nothing normal about this.

"I don't know, this sounds like a stretch to me" Dean replied and I rolled my eyes as I sat back in the chair.

"Well we need more information on the area, the neighbourhood. Whether something like this has ever happened before" Sam replied and I nodded from behind him, agreeing fully. Dean sighed in reply as we passed a sign, which I wasn't able to read but judging from Dean's reply he had.

"What?" Sam asked and Dean grinned as we passed another sign this one I managed to see read 'New Models open. New Buyer's BBQ Today' and I grinned.

"I know a good place to start" Dean and I said at the same time and I looked to see him grinning at me in the rear-view, we thought so alike a lot of the time that it was funny, freaky but also funny.

"I'm kinda hungry for a little barbecue, how 'bout you?" Dean asked and I grinned before nodding my head in reply as Sam looked at Dean and then me over his shoulder knowingly.

"What? It's a good way to meet the locals" Dean defended and Sam snorted.

"And the free food has nothin' to do with it?" he asked and Dean turned to frown at his brother offensively.

"Of course not, I'm a professional" he said, before flashing his brother a grin.

"Right" Sam sighed and I knew he would be rolling his eyes at Dean, while Dean pulled over in a space behind a car down the street from the open house and we all climbed out of the car, where I walked over to the boys and linked my arm through Sam's where he squeezed my hand for a second before shoving his hands into his pockets as we made our way down the street.

"Growin' up in a place like this would freak me out" Dean stated and both Sam and I turned to frown at him.

"Why?" we asked him and Dean turned to look at us in an 'are you serious kind of way' before he shrugged when he saw that we were being serious.

"Well, manicured lawns, the 'how was your day honey?' I'd blow my brains out" he stated and I sighed before rolling my eyes at him before smirking.

"Okay, so take away the well-manicured lawn" I suggested and Dean snorted at my joke as Sam sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with normal" he said, though of course Dean wouldn't agree. He wouldn't remember how it felt to be normal because he was four when Mary died, and since then he hasn't had a shot at 'normal' so the idea would seem weird to him. Whereas I remember my life before Hunting, my 'normal' life and Sam had had a shot at it by going to college for four years.

"I'd take our family over 'normal' any day" Dean said and I smiled at him. Okay so I agreed with him there. Normal after Hunting for so long sounded weird, whereas our weird lives were normal for us and I wouldn't change it, after all it had kept me out of foster care. I could've had a worse life than the one I'd had with the Winchesters.

We approached the door at that moment and Dean knocked, where it didn't take long for the door to open and a man in his forties answered the door. He looked well groomed with light hair that was thin and cropped fairly close to his head and had a welcoming smile on his face. Obviously this was the guy selling the houses, which from the outside looked extremely nice.

"Welcome" he greeted, the smile still on his face.

"This the barbecue?" Dean asked and I looked up at Sam, rolling my eyes at him which made him laugh. Typical of Dean to ask for the barbecue and not the open house, that boy only ever thought about food.

"Yeah, not the best weather I'm afraid but… I'm Larry Pike, the developer. And you are?" he introduced and Dean shook his outstretched hand.

"Dean, this is Sam and Ali" he replied and Larry nodded before I held my hand out for him to shake which he then shook Sam's hand.

"Sam, Dean, Ali, good to meet you. So are you interested in Oasis Plains?" he asked and I smiled at him in reply.

"Yes sir" Dean and I said as he turned to look at me and I playfully stuck my tongue out at him as I removed my arm out of Sam's.

"Let me just say, we welcome homeowners of any race, colour, religion or…sexual orientation" Larry said and I turned my head into Sam's arm where I let loose a string of hysterical laughter before pulling away and wiping at the tears falling out of my eyes which caused Larry to frown at me in reply and I smiled at him.

"No, they are brothers and I'm their half-sister" I stated as I saw Sam and Dean realise what he was trying to say. Larry opened his mouth before closing it and I saw that he was embarrassed. I smiled at him encouragingly.

"Our dad is getting on in his years you see, and we are looking for a place for him to stay since he's retiring soon" I said and Larry smiled before nodding.

"Great, great. Well seniors are welcome to" he said, before stepping aside to invite me into the house and I looked at Dean who looked annoyed, so I pressed my hand to my mouth to muffle my laughter as Sam pinched my shoulder playfully since I was laughing at their expense, causing me to jump away from him and bump into Dean, who wrapped his arm around my waist to steady me. I smiled at him gratefully and he nodded at me in reply before letting me go.

We continued to follow Larry straight though the house before emerging into the back garden where I saw a lot of people hanging around in groups, eating and chatting.

"You said you're the developer?" Sam asked Larry, who was walking just a little in front of the three of us. The man nodded, before turning around, so we slowed a little.

"Eighteen months ago, I was walking with my survey team. There was nothing here but scrub bush and squirrels and we made such a nice place to live that I bought into it myself. This is our house. We're the first family to move in" Larry said as we walked over to a woman who smiled lovingly at Larry. Obviously this was his wife.

"This is my wife, Joanie" he introduced and the woman smiled in response.

"Hi" she said and I smiled and nodded at her since she seemed nice.

"Hi" I replied and she smiled before shaking Dean's outstretched hand.

"Hi nice to meet you" she replied and I smiled.

"You too" I said, holding my hand out to shake her hand.

"Sam, Dean and Ali" Larry stated, introducing us as Joanie moved to shake Sam's hand.

"Sam" he stated and she nodded.

"Pleasure" she said to Sam before moving back to stand next to her husband's side.

"Tell them how much you love the place honey, lie if you have to because I need to sell some houses" Larry joked.

"Right" Joanie said and we all laughed a little.

"Sorry, will you excuse me?" Larry asked and when we nodded he walked off, Joanie watching him go before she turned her attention back to us.

"Don't let his salesman touch scare you, this is a really nice place to live" she said and I smiled before looking at the boys knowingly.

"Yeah, although you have a problem with sinkholes" I mumbled under my breath quietly and Dean turned to grin at me, obviously hearing what I'd said as a woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun approached us wearing a beaming smile on her face. Obviously she was part of the sales team as well, judging by her smart, formal suit.

"Hi, I'm Lynda Bloome, head of sales" she said.

"And Lynda was second to move in, she's a very noisy neighbour though" Joanie said, sending us a smile before she walked off, obviously seeing that we were in good hands. Lynda laughed before turning her attention back to us.

"She's kidding of course. I take it you three are interested in becoming homeowners?" she asked.

"Well…" Dean trailed off.

"Y-yeah, well" Sam replied and I could tell the two of them were probably worried about being mistaken as a couple, which I found funny, considering that I had my arm linked with Sam's earlier when Larry greeted us.

"Well, let me just say that we accept homeowners of any race, religion, colour or…sexual orientation" Lynda replied, looking at the three of us weirdly, obviously thinking how the three of us could be in a relationship. I heard Dean chuckle in reply, obviously not too bothered with being called a couple for the second time, but as sales people they had to say that to any potential buyers just so any heterosexual and homosexual couples knew they were welcome.

"Right, um, I'm gonna go and talk to Larry" Dean said.

"Okay honey" Dean asked, looking at Sam and I rolled my lips into my mouth to keep myself from grinning and laughing like an idiot. Sam glared at Dean who smirked and walked past Sam and I watched as he slapped Sam's ass, making me snort in laughter and turn away briefly so that I could compose myself before I looked back and grinned at Sam.

"Aww, you and my brother make such a cute couple" I said, reaching for his cheeks, where he slapped my hand away before glaring at me but I smirked at him and he huffed a sigh as Lynda looked at us, obviously feeling slightly uncomfortable, which I knew had been Dean's point in the first place. He walked over to Larry before disappearing inside.

"So the houses have been fitted with lots of features and facilities, such as the steam showers we have in the bathrooms" Lynda began and I saw the bored, uninterested look on Sam's face. Then again Lynda had been rambling on about the houses and what they were like.

"I mean who can say 'no' to a steam shower, I use mine everyday" Lynda continued.

"Sounds great" Sam said and I rolled my eyes at him before smiling at Lynda, but Sam's attention was elsewhere. I smiled and nodded as Lynda rambled on but watched Sam who was looking in the direction of the table that Lynda was leaning against. I followed his gaze and saw there was a black tarantula crawling towards to woman's hand. I nudged Sam repeatedly in the ribs as I stared at the tarantula with wide eyes.

"Excuse me" Sam said to the woman, lightly pushing her out of the way before scooping the spider up into his hands and I shivered. How could he do that? Spiders were gross and hairy and creepy with their spindly legs and the way they moved and yuk! I smiled at Lynda before following Sam, making sure to stay near him, but as far away from the spider as possible.

"This yours?" he asked the boy who was standing near the table. He was cute and had dark floppy hair. His grin vanished as he looked at Sam but took the spider off him.

"You gonna tell my dad?" he asked, sounding sad at the idea and I saw Sam frown.

"I don't know. Who's your dad?" he asked the boy, which made him sigh.

"Well, Larry usually skips me in the family introductions" the boy stated and Sam winced.

"Ouch, first name basis with the old man, sounds pretty grim" he said and I frowned up at Sam, before gritting my together as I received a wave of his emotions; understanding and sympathy were the only feelings that I could feel from him. Wait, did he really believe that he had more in common with Larry's son? Simply because of how he and his father used to argue?

"Well I'm not exactly brochure material" Larry's son stated and Sam sent him a sympathetic smile.

"Well hang in there. It's gets better, trust me" Sam replied and the boy frowned.

"When?" he asked. I bit my lip as I turned around, seeing Larry and Dean hurrying over to us.

"Matthew" Larry said stiffly, causing Sam and Matthew to turn in the direction of Larry's voice.

"I'm so sorry about my son and his…pet" he said, obviously not liking the fact that his son had a spider as a pet.

"It's no bother" Sam said and I shivered slightly at the idea of the spider crawling. It wasn't my fault that I was scared of spiders. The boys and Alissa thought it would be funny to put a spider on my pillow on April Fool's morning and it scared the shit out of me since it had been crawling over to my hair. I woke up and it was there, staring at me. I always thought spiders were evil afterwards.

"Excuse us" Larry stated, nodding politely at us before sending a glare at Matt, which made him sigh and walk after his dad, where they went over to the porch.

"Remind you of anyone?" Sam asked and I looked up to see him looking at Dean, who frowned at Sam before turning to look at where Larry and Matt were and seeing Larry shouting at his son. Dean shrugged and looked back at Sam who looked annoyed.

"Dad?" he suggested and I frowned at Sam, seeing that Dean looked annoyed too.

"Dad never treated us like that" Dean sighed, rolling his eyes at his brother.

"Well dad never treated you like that. You were perfect. He was all over my case. You don't remember?" Sam asked and I groaned, rubbing my head which was starting to ache at the constant argument that Sam always had to bring up.

"I'll leave you to it" I huffed, before walking off, over to the barbecue and smiling at the guy manning the food.

"What can I get you little miss?" he drawled and I bit my lip, looking over the food that was cooking and smiling.

"Can I get a hot dog please?" I asked and the man grinned before nodding and placing the sausage into the bun, before handing it to me, resting on a napkin, deciding that it was okay for me to go back to the boys and seeing that they frowned at me as I walked over.

"So what'd you find out?" I asked Dean, before biting into my hot dog.

"Well I found out that my sister only thinks about her stomach" I rolled my eyes at him in frustration and he smiled before shaking his head. I sighed and fixed him with a pointed stare which made him send me a half smile in reply. He knew I hated it when they fought, Dean knew I hated it even more when they fought over their dad, though of course I didn't think either of them had figured to why it pained me that Sam argued with John and Dean argued with Sam.

"It was great, I'm ready to buy" he said, wiggling his eyebrows and Sam and I laughed in reply.

"Alright, let's go sign some papers for the lovely couple" I said grinning at Dean and he glared, before swiping the hotdog off me and biting into it.

"Get your own" I huffed, snatching it back and eating the last quarter as Dean smirked before clearing his throat.

"Apparently Dustin Burwash wasn't the first suspicious death to happen around here" he stated and I frowned.

"What happened?" Sam asked as I chewed on my food.

"About a year ago before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead, get this, an allergic reaction to a bee sting" Dean said and I frowned.

"More bugs?" I asked before swallowing my food and Dean snorted but nodded.

"More bugs" he stated and I sighed, using my tongue to get rid of any stray pieces of hot dog out of my teeth.

"So what now?" I asked, urging the boys to decide what to do now as the blanket of night started to fall around us. Obviously we had been at this barbecue longer than I thought we had.

"Now we go back to the Impala and think of what to do next" Dean replied and I nodded, before we walked off, saying goodbye to Larry, Joanie and Lynda on our way out who shook our hands eagerly, obviously they thought that they had sold a house to us.

Dean walked through the front door and towards the Impala, before throwing Sam the keys, making me glare at him.

"Really?" I asked and Dean turned to me, lifting his eyebrows questioningly and I sighed before rolling my eyes at him.

"You're letting Sam drive?" I asked and Dean groaned.

"Get over it Ali" he stated and I frowned at him.

"Dude, I drove your butts back to the motel after the Bloody Mary job in Toledo" I stated and Dean winced.

"Yeah, the first and last time" he stated and I groaned, before sliding into the backseat and sighing.

"I didn't even crash her" I grumbled and Dean chuckled as Sam started the car and I saw Dean reach inside his jacket so I rested my arms along the back of the front seat and leant on them so that I could look over Dean's shoulder and saw that he was flicking through his dad's journal. He sighed about fifteen minutes after, obviously having no luck as Sam continued driving in the direction that Dean had pointed him in.

"You know, I've heard of killer bees but killer beetles? What can happen to make different bugs attack?" Dean suddenly asked and I shrugged from where I was leaning against him, looking over his shoulder at the journal, which was the first time I had a good look at John's journal, simply because Dean kept it on him constantly and I didn't really want to read his journal. There was a reason that he left it to his boys, though I knew Sam and Dean wouldn't care if I read it.

"Well, hauntings sometimes cause bug manifestations?" Sam replied and Dean sighed.

"I didn't see any signs of ghost activity" Dean stated and Sam shook his head.

"Yeah, me neither" he replied and I nodded in agreement. Actually, I hadn't felt anything strange at all, nothing weird like ghost activity, demons, or any other creatures. Nothing supernatural, but of course something was going on here, but maybe it just wasn't as obvious as what we thought it was.

""Maybe they're being controlled somehow. You know, by something or someone?" Dean asked and Sam glanced at him before focusing back on the road.

"You mean, like Willard?" he asked and Dean shrugged in reply.

"Yeah, only bugs instead of rats."

"There are cases of psychic connections between animals and humans, like elementals, telepaths" I said, before frowning. That wasn't completely true, only strong telepaths can have psychic connections with animals. Humans are animals, but our brains are slightly more complicated than an animal's mind and because of that, telepaths can read other humans better because we share the same wavelengths. With animals, the telepath has to be strong enough to pull out the animal's brain waves and focus on those, even though their brains are a little simpler, strangely enough they are harder to connect with. Sam nodded in agreement from in front of me.

"Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing" Dean stated. Was he on about the film Lassie? He paused for a second and I could practically see the gears in his head turning as he thought of something.

"Like Larry's kid, he has bugs for pets" Dean said and Sam frowned over at his brother.

"Matt?" he asked and Dean shrugged.

"Yeah" he replied and I saw Sam frown in thought.

"Well, he did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula" he said and I shivered at the thought of the spider.

"You think he's our Willard?" Dean asked and Sam shrugged in reply.

"I don't know, anything's possible I guess" was all he said as Dean looked out of the window.

"Ooh, pull over here" he stated, which Sam did, turning off into the driveway of one of the Oasis Plains homes, but not before he frowned at Dean weirdly. I frowned at my brother too but saw that we had stopped outside of a vacant house and I rolled my eyes, instantly knowing what Dean was thinking. We were spending the night here.

"What are we doing here?" he asked and Dean shrugged before the two of us climbed out of the car.

"It's too late to talk to any of the neighbours" Dean stated.

"So we're gonna squat in an empty house?" Sam asked, and I could hear the disbelief in his voice as Dean shrugged in reply.

"Well I wanna try the steam shower. Come on" he said, waving Sam towards the garage which he had opened up. I saw Sam's hesitation and Dean frowned before waving him through again.

"Come on" he urged, glancing around worriedly in case we had been seen by someone. Sam put the car forwards and drove into the garage, where Dean then closed the door behind the car, keeping it hidden from anyone who might come passed and see it parked outside of an empty house.

Dean and I walked over to the front door and I kept watch as he picked the lock before walking through the now open door, shutting it after us and locking it, before he made his way down the hallway to the door that stood at the end, leading to the garage where he picked the lock on that door, revealing Sam standing there waiting, his duffel over his shoulder, with mine and Dean's in his hand and a look of nervousness on his face. Obviously he didn't like the idea of this, but Dean and I had spent the night in worse places over the last year and a half. I grinned at Sam, deciding to tease him as he stepped into the hallway.

"Welcome home honey" I joked and Dean snorted with laughter as Sam glared at me, so I rolled my eyes at him.

"Calm down, we'll be fine. Besides at least this place is nice, we've squatted in worse, right Dean?" I said as Dean locked the garage door before turning to us and nodding.

"Exactly" he stated and Sam frowned slightly, looking pained at this, but I wasn't sure if the idea of squatting here overnight pained him, or the fact that Dean and I had been through worse was what hurt him. I was going for the former.

I headed for the stairs and walked up them, finding that this place had two bedrooms, it was a smaller house than some of the others around Larry's house where we had been for the barbecue. I headed for the one bedroom, not really caring where I slept the night just as long as I could sleep. Sam and Dean followed me into the room before nodding and Dean looked at me before smiling as Sam frowned.

"You want me to stay with you?" he asked and I sent him a warm smile but shook my head.

"Nope I'll be fine, you can sleep with Dean tonight" I grinned and Sam groaned.

"You're not gonna let that go are you?" he asked and I laughed before shaking my head.

"Nope, I'm not" I stated and Sam sighed before nodding.

"Okay, night" he said and I smiled at him.

"Night Sammy" I said before walking over and kissing Dean's cheek.

"Night Dean, don't keep Sam awake all night" I teased and Dean shivered, rolling his eyes as he did so before laughing at Sam's disgusted expression.

"I love you really" I said and Sam sighed.

"I know, you have a funny way of showing it" he stated and I grinned before skipping over to him and tiptoeing to peck his cheek, where the boys disappeared out of the room and went next door, so I made myself comfortably for the night, using my duffel as pillow and stripping down to a camisole and shorts and lying on the floor.

I sat upright, coughing into my hand in order to keep quiet and not wake the boys who were sleeping next door. I took deep breaths, wheezing as I did so but grateful for the fresh oxygen that wasn't clouded with smoke. Already though, the images were fading so either my nightmare wasn't that bad, or I wasn't ready to remember it yet. Sometimes that happened, I had nightmares for a few days and couldn't remember them, then when I did remember I couldn't believe I had forgotten them because they were easily memorable, but they usually had some sort of significance.

I sighed and pushed myself up, realising that I was sweating because my body felt as though I had been standing in the middle of a fire. I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead, feeling the sweat that had collected there before I pulled out the towel from my duffel and headed to the bathroom, grateful that the shower was working because I needed a good wash.

About thirty minutes later, after washing my body, hair, face and even shaving, I stepped out and wrapped the towel around myself before walking back to my room, looking at my feet as I did so before I looked up at the last second, and walked into something solid. I stumbled back a step, gripping the towel around my body to make sure it didn't fall and looked up to see Sam smiling down at me.

"Morning" he said and I nodded in reply.

"Morning" I replied, though it really wasn't a good morning at all, I was more tired than I had been when I first went to sleep. It was as though I had actually been awake instead of dreaming. He frowned down at me, pushing the strands of wet hair out of my face and I let out a breath, relishing the feel of Sam's hand since his skin was cooler than mine.

"Bad dreams?" he asked and I shrugged before nodding.

"Yeah, you?" I asked and he shrugged in reply.

"I slept a little better than usual, but I can't seem to sleep past this time" he stated and I smiled at him before nodding.

"You still have your body clock that's why. Now go take a shower, because I need to get dressed" I stated and Sam nodded before we stepped around the other and I headed back to the room I had slept in as Sam headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me as I did so.

I rummaged around in my duffel before pulling out my clothes and after switching the towel to wrap around my hair, I started getting dressed, before going back and opening my door to let the boys know it was okay to walk in if they needed to.

I sat down on the floor and started to brush my hair through, nodding at Sam as he walked past, already dressed, which was a let-down and he grinned before walking in and sitting down behind me, taking the brush out of my hands and I let him but bit my lip against what I wanted to say. He always enjoyed playing with my hair for as long as I could remember.

"What's your fascination with my hair?" I asked him and felt him pause in brushing my hair in his surprise but he quickly carried on.

"I don't know, it's weird, but I find it soothing to brush and play with your hair" he stated and I frowned in reply since that was weird.

"You strange person" I joked and heard Sam chuckle behind me.

"Do you want me to plait it again?" he asked and I shrugged in reply.

"Yeah if you want" I replied before hearing movement in the room next door.

"Dean's awake" we both said before laughing quietly and I watched the door, waiting for Dean to walk passed as Sam plaited my hair, but I could tell by the fact that he scraped my hair back that he was doing a French plait. Dean knew how to do them to but he sucked at making them tight enough, but that was due to the fact that Alissa and I had taught them how to do them because we were bored one night and figured that we should give them some skills for when they had girlfriends, keep in mind we were six at the time and had Sam and Dean wrapped our little fingers. When the boys stayed with us, Alissa and I could usually get them to do whatever we wanted.

Dean soon walked past the door, heading in the direction of the bathroom, with a white towel slung over his arm. He looked in and rolled his eyes as Sam and I before he carried on to the shower and I heard Sam sigh behind me.

"Don't worry, he's just jealous that I prefer you to do my hair than him, 'cause he sucks" I replied and Sam snorted.

"I didn't realise Dean swung that way" he said and I giggled in reply as Sam chuckled. That was funny.

"It's a shame Dean wasn't here to hear that, because that was good Sammy" I said and heard him laugh.

"Why thank you Als, I'm glad I have your approval" he said and I smiled to myself as he held my hair with one hand, before reaching for my duffel with the other.

"You still keep your hair accessories is the zip up part?" he asked.

"Yup" I replied and heard the zip being undone before Sam sat back and tied my hair up with one of the hair bobbles I kept in there.

"Ta da" he said, and I felt him stand up behind me, so I reached behind and touched the plait, smiling when I did so because as always it was perfect.

"Thanks Sam" I said, getting to my feet and grinning at him as there was a noise coming from next door. We headed into the room the boys had been in last night and I rolled my eyes at the fact that I could tell where Dean had slept apart from where Sam had slept, because Dean's side was messy.

"How does he make that much mess after one night?" I asked in surprised and Sam snorted.

"It's a gift" he stated as he walked over to some sort of device that had been placed on the windowsill and turned up the volume, where I could hear a voice coming through, it was crackly but still clear enough, though only bits and pieces came through, which made Sam frown.

"Dispatch…woman is dead…bathroom…Rosethorn Avenue" the voice said and I realised that the device had been programmed to tap into the local police radio. I turned to look at Sam.

"Isn't that like four blocks from here?" I asked and he frowned.

"Three actually" he corrected and I bit my lip as he sighed.

"We need to pull Dean away from his shower" he stated and I smirked.

"After you, my friend" I grinned, gesturing for him to go first and Sam snorted.

"Chicken" he taunted and I nodded.

"Exactly, I don't want to be the one to pull him away from his steam shower" I stated and Sam rolled his eyes before walking out of the bedroom and towards the bathroom, where I could see the steam underneath the door and Sam knocked.

"You ever comin' out of there?" he asked and I frowned, before looking at my watch to see that Dean had been about forty five minutes, which I hadn't realised had been that long, but then again I forgot how long my hair was, so it would obviously take Sam a while to sort it out.

"O.S what?" Dean called back over the sound of the shower pounding down and Sam sighed in reply.

"Dean, a police call came through on the scanner" Sam stated.

"Hold on" Dean called back.

"Someone was found dead, three blocks from here" Sam said just before the door opened and Dean poked his head around the door, the towel wrapped around his head as the bathroom was filled with steam.

"This shower is awesome" Dean stated, a wide grin on his face. I looked at Sam who rolled his eyes.

"Come on" he instructed, before turning and walking away. Dean looked at me, a frown on his face and I laughed a little.

"Move your ass, we are on a job remember and no we cannot buy a house here just for the shower" I said and he pouted but I rolled my eyes and walked off, in search of Sam who I found in the bedroom, packing his things up. I was already done since I tended to clean up after myself straight away.

Soon enough Dean appeared, dressed and obviously ready to go which was soon confirmed when he nodded his head but I rolled my eyes at him.

"Pack your bag first, we're taking everything with us, it's too risky to leave everything behind" I stated and Dean glared at me.

"Who are you? I'm the adult here" he stated and Sam and I snorted at him.

"Yeah barely" we stated and Dean glared at us.

"You two really need to quit doing that" he sighed, before walking over and packing his things up.

We drove up to the house that had been mentioned on the police radio not long after Dean started packing and we climbed out. I spotted Larry straight away, on the phone talking to someone so we approached him, ready to wait if we needed to, but it seemed that we wouldn't need to since he ended the call soon after we arrived.

"Hello, you're, uh, back early" he said, trying to be polite and welcoming but failing since the shock he had received meant that he wasn't his usual 'sales person' self.

"Yeah, we just drove in, we wanted to take another look at the neighbourhood again" Dean stated and Larry nodded slightly.

"What's goin' on?" Sam and I asked, but ignored the weird fact that we had spoken at the same time again. It was at that moment that a body bag on a stretcher was wheeled out of the house and Larry glanced at it quickly before looking back at us.

"You, uh, met Lynda Bloome at the barbecue?" he asked and we nodded.

"The realtor?" Sam asked just to clarify and Larry nodded before swallowing.

"Yeah, well she, uh… passed away last night" he said and I looked at him, feeling my eyes widen in surprise. Wait what! What the hell had happened? We were only sleeping three block away last night!

"What happened?" Dean asked, which was good because I myself was still shocked, too shocked to talk. We had been sleeping three blocks away! My feelings always worked when we were near to the victim, I had worked out that I had a five mile radius, or at least I had recently worked that out by calculating where I had been after having the strange feelings since it was something to do one night when I couldn't sleep. I couldn't' believe that I hadn't received a strange feeling at all throughout the night, since my nightmare came too late, it woke me up probably a few hours after she died.

"I'm still trying to find that out. Identified the body for the police. Look I-I'm sorry, but this really isn't a good time" he said and we all nodded.

"It's okay" Sam reassured.

"Excuse me" he said to be polite before walking off and Dean turned to us.

"You know what we have to do right?" he questioned and I nodded in reply.

"We need to get in that house" I stated and he nodded.

"See if we have a bug problem" Dean said and I smiled at him.

We walked off, down the street before turning down into the backyard of an empty house next to Lynda's. I watched as Dean climbed over the fence, hearing his feet hit the dirt on the other side, so that he was now in that backyard and I knew that the boys were planning on climbing the fence and sneaking in through Lynda's window that way. I sighed and nodded to Sam, where he linked his fingers together, allowing me to place my foot on his hands and he boosted me up, so that I hooked my leg over the fence, allowing me to straddle it and find a foothold on the other side before I brought my other leg over and dropped to the floor, closely followed by Sam jumping over the fence a moment after. Damn boys and being inches taller than me! Dean just smirked, obviously aware of my frustration but I flipped him off and hastened over to the other side of the garden, where I used the firm foundations of the fence to climb up and straddled the top, looking at the window which was part way open and smirked slightly, there was no way the boys were getting through that. I looked down at them, seeing that they looked a little impatient, obviously they weren't going to jump at the wall and then over it with me sitting on the top. Their weight would most likely knock me off, and looking down at them was already beginning to make my hands sweat.

"You won't be able to fit through the window. Give me two minutes to shuffle in and open it for you" I said down to them and Dean sighed but nodded.

"Two minutes Ali" he said firmly and I rolled my eyes before moving my other leg over, allowing me to sit on top of the fence with my back to the boys. I swear to god, if Dean decided that it will be funny to poke me while I'm up here, I will put hair removal cream in his shampoo and that's big because he likes he hair, as well as putting itching powder in with his shower gel, and I'm not one for pranks when it comes to the boys.

A quick calculation told me that I could jump the gap and grab hold of the ledge beneath the window easily, so I propelled myself forwards, reaching out and catching myself on the ledge, where I then found footholds and after making sure I had a tight grip on the ledge, I used my other hand to push the window open a little further where I then squeezed myself through the little gap, before unlatching the window and opening it as far as it would go.

"Chocolate starfish" I whisper/shouted and heard the boys snort before I moved away from the window and looked around the room as they appeared through the window. The first thing I saw in the room was the chalk marking on the floor where the police had drawn around Lynda's dead body.

"This looks like the place" Dean said and I snorted.

"What gave it away? The bra on the bed or the chalk outline on the floor?" I asked sarcastically and Dean stuck his tongue out at me before we moved around the room, Dean walking over to a towel.

"I swear to god if you smell that-" I began just as Dean picked it up, and dead spider bodies fell out of it, but he quickly dropped it and I covered my hand to muffle the squeal that threatened to reveal we were in here, before I backed up, slamming straight into Sam, who wrapped his arms around me comfortingly and also to keep me balanced.

"Breathe" he whispered in my ear soothingly and I took deep breaths as he rested his chin on my shoulder, the warmth emanating from him and his body soothing and calming me further, but then started to make me shiver because he was so warm, in an inviting way.

"Spiders" Dean stated and I rolled my eyes as he looked up and frowned at our position before rolling his eyes at me.

"Such as girl" he said and I stuck my tongue out at him. I hated being teased about my little fears.

"From spider boy?" he asked, looking up at Sam who I felt shrug.

"Matt? Maybe" was all he said before I tapped his hands and he let me go, where I made my way back to the window, making sure to give the dead spiders a wide berth.

Okay so I had three main fears… heights, spiders and water, which when you look at it, compared to things we fight on a weekly basis, they were pretty silly fears but they had nothing to do with the job. My fear of spiders and water were first born when I was young, before I started Hunting with the Winchesters and overtime they developed to the point where I am petrified. I can overcome them if I have to, but it becomes a bit much sometimes afterwards. My fear of heights was apparently hereditary since my mom had a huge fear of heights, to the point that she refused to go on rollercoasters and whatnot, unless they stayed on the ground. I wasn't too bothered about enormous heights, but I had to feel safe usually by being strapped in securely.

The only fear that had been born from this line of work was fear of losing my boys… but that was perfectly normal since there was always the risk that we could lose each other because Hunting has a shit pay and is also really fucking dangerous.

I watched as Dean climbed out of the window and shimmied down the drain pipe next to the window, before dropping the last few yards and landing on his feet. I sighed and bit my lip before climbing out of the window, where Sam leaned out to watch me. I decided to keep my eyes trained on him as I made my way down the drain pipe, refusing to look to see how far I had left, because if I was higher than I thought I was, then I would probably end up wetting myself and clinging to the drain pipe as though my life depended on it, which it sort of would, and I refused to do that because I didn't want Sam and Dean to have any more of a reason to think I was weak and couldn't look after myself. I doubted they would ever think of that but that was always a part of me- my pride- that refused to acknowledge that I may be weaker than anyone. Physically I knew I was, but mentally, emotionally, psychologically and academically I knew that I was anything but.

Once I was safely to the ground and Dean had wrapped his arm around me proudly, we watched as Sam shimmied down the pipe but I had to look away, aware of how high it was if he accidentally let go. He could fall to his death and I didn't want to witness anyone else getting hurt when I could've prevented it. I felt him flick my shoulder soon after and I took my face out of Dean's bicep to smile at him where we carefully made our way back around the block to the Impala, glad when there was no one around to see that we had suspiciously come back for our car after leaving about fifteen minutes ago.

Dean and Sam hopped into the front and I slid into the backseat before Dean pulled out and I frowned as I realised he seemed to know where he was going.

"Where we goin'?" I questioned and Sam shifted in his seat to look at me easily so I leant forwards to make it easy for him to see me.

"We're going to find Matt" he stated and I frowned at him.

"How do you know where he's going to be?" I asked and Sam shrugged.

"We don't know for sure, we just hope we get there on time, but I noticed a bus stop specifically for a school bus and school finishes around this time so that's where we are gonna start first" he explained and I nodded, hoping we would be able to catch Matt as he got off the school bus, if not we would have to think up a Plan B.

Dean pulled up to the curb and I looked over the road to see the school bus pull up and watched as Matt, with his backpack on his back, climbed off and start walking away, in the opposite direction to his house. I frowned in confusion.

"Isn't his house in that direction?" Dean asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and making me jerk my head back to avoid being poked in the eye but he didn't seem to notice this. Typical Dean!

"Yup" Sam and I said at the same time and Dean huffed a sigh before shaking his head and focusing back on Matt.

"So where's he goin'?" Dean asked and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you expecting us to have the answer to that?" I asked and Dean narrowed his eyes at me, so I smiled innocently back at him. He ignored me and instead climbed out of the car, slamming the door shut after him, closely followed by Sam. I slid over to the door and opened it before jumping out of the car and shutting the door after me, where the three of us then proceeded to follow Matt through the town until he turned off into the neighbouring forest and I watched as he crouched down, examining something on the ground.

"Hey Matt, remember me?" Sam asked and the boy started, standing up to look at us.

"What are you doin' here?" he asked.

"Well, we wanna talk to you" Dean replied and Matt fixed the three of us with a look.

"You're not here to buy a house are you?" he questioned and I grinned before shaking my head at him.

"W-wait, you're not serial killers?" he asked, sounding a little frightened and I snorted a laugh before shaking my head.

"You watch too much TV kid" I said and he glared at me. Obviously he didn't like being called a kid when I wasn't that much older than him.

"No, no. No I think you're okay" Sam said, cutting in to reassure Matt and stop any possible confrontation between the two of us.

"So Matt...you sure know a lot about insects" Dean began, stating the obvious.

"So?" he asked, obviously confused and not seeing why Dean would be bothered.

"Did you hear what happened to Lynda, the realtor?" Dean asked.

"I heard she died this morning" Matt replied and I could tell that he hadn't made the connection.

"Yup" I said, "-she died from spider bites" I stated and saw Dean roll his eyes, obviously he had wanted to say that.

"Matt… you tried to scare her with a spider" Sam pointed out, trying to make Matt realise what we were trying to say, and from the expression on the boy's face, he finally realised.

"Wait. You think I had something to do with that?" he asked and I could tell he was shocked.

"You tell us" I said, but I had a feeling he was being honest. He hadn't done anything but something told me he had an idea of what was happening.

"Yeah I tried to scare her with a spider, but that tarantula was a joke. Anyway that wouldn't explain the bees or the gas company guy" he pointed out and I nodded slowly. He did have a point there.

"Wait, you know about those?" Sam asked and Matt shrugged. Well he did live here and if he was as smart as what he appeared to be then he would have an idea of what happened in the place he lived in.

"There is somethin' goin' on here. I don't know what… but there's something with the insects, here let me show you something" he said, motioning for us to followed him as he picked up his backpack from the floor and I did, eager to find out what he knew. I heard Sam and Dean follow behind us a moment later as he took us a little further into the forest.

"So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why didn't you say something to your dad? He could've cleared everyone out" Dean said as we stopped in a clearing, and I could hear that he was a little annoyed about that, but there was more going on here with Matt.

"I did, I tried, but uh, Larry wouldn't believe me" Matt stated and I nodded in understanding. I knew it wouldn't be as simple as Dean made it out to be. Larry didn't seem like the kind of guy to believe such things and risk the whole of his investment like that.

"Why not?" Sam asked and I rolled my eyes at him. It was obvious to anyone that the father and son had a strained relationship. Besides Larry hadn't seen the kind of things we had, so he wouldn't believe that insects had minds of their own and were killing people, though I suppose it didn't sound as ridiculous as werewolves being real.

"Well mostly, he's too disappointed in his freak of a son" Matt stated and I could hear the sadness in his voice and detect the hurt in his heart. He wanted his dad to love him. Sam scoffed from where he was standing on my left.

"I hear you" he said and I snapped my neck around so quickly that I'm surprised I didn't give myself whiplash as I stared at Sam in disbelief. Is that what he really thought? That John was disappointed in him? Because that wasn't the case, sure John was disappointed that Sam didn't want to be a Hunter, and therefore he couldn't keep an eye on his son after losing his wife, but he wasn't disappointed with Sam, or the man he had grown up to be. He was proud of Sam and proud of the fact that he'd gone to college. He could say that he had a son who he was proud to call his partner, well when they worked jobs together, and he could say he had another son and boast about him being a Law school graduate.

"You do?" Dean asked and Sam turned to look at Dean before looking back at Matt.

"Matt, how old are you?" he asked and I took a deep breath as my head started spinning, the air becoming suffocating as it felt like it was sticking to me, making it difficult to suck in the oxygen that I needed. How could Sam not see it? John pushed him away because he knew his youngest son wasn't happy. He did it for Sam's sake.

"Sixteen" was Matt's reply.

"Well don't sweat, because in two years something amazing's gonna happen" he stated and I saw Matt look confused. I took in shaky breaths. Stop please!

Sam's resentment and pain was too much to take. He resented his father for behaving that way towards him, always pushing him away and never seemingly happy with whatever Sam did which was why Sam rebelled. He resented him for favouring Dean, but if only he knew… if only he knew how much John loved him. He would be surprised. I bent over, resting my hands on my knees. His pain was killing me, the pain that his own father pushed him away just because he didn't want to Hunt, wanted to go to college and create a possible future for himself then join us later on. John pushed him away! I sucked in a deep breath, but if anything, in my new position the air seemed more sluggish. Sam stop! Please! I begged, though of course he couldn't hear me, because my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth.

"What?" Matt asked and I groaned as Sam felt happy. He loved college. He missed college and living a normal life, even if he didn't fit in.

"Sam" I gasped.

"College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad" Sam stated and I groaned, feeling that Sam felt he was right. College was the best thing to happen to him, he could bury himself in books and not have to worry about getting his research wrong, because it would just mean a bad grade and not potentially killing anyone.

Dean's frustration rose up at this point and I gasped, but the air didn't make its way into my lungs as I felt the boys' emotions press down on me. Sam's resentment, pain and even his pride… he was too proud to admit that he wished things could've been different; things could've gone a different way so that he didn't have to stop having contact with his dad. Now he was searching for his father who had gone missing and had made Dean and I come to him, because his brother didn't want to go through this 'on his own' while Dean was frustrated with Sam's attitude. Their dad was their dad after all, things could've been a lot worse, just because Sam didn't agree with being raised like 'warriors' didn't mean that their dad was wrong. After all the way he raised them was the best he could do while looking for their mom's killer and it also kept their asses alive along the way.

"Boys, stop it" I gasped and felt Matt's eyes on me but Sam and Dean were too caught up in their own emotions to notice that their emotions were killing me.

"What kind of advice is that?" Dean questioned. How dare Sam give that sort of advice to the kid! They are two totally different situations, but both Sam and Matt have dads who love them. Hell why can't they just be grateful, some kids can't even say that they have parents. They died or the kids were abandoned, they should be grateful, especially Sam. Dad could've left us! We could've ended up apart, in foster homes, but dad did the best he could.

"The kid should stick with his family" Dean said and I let a moan of pain escape my lips.

"Boys" I moaned.

"Err…" Matt said, sounding unsure.

"Shit Als" Sam said, but I straightened up, swallowing the moan of pain that threatened to pass through my lips, causing pain to flash away from my heart and down my body as I stumbled back a step as I blinked away the tears in my eyes.

"Fucking cut it out. Both of you" I hissed, through gritted teeth and saw the shock on Sam and Dean's faces. The shock that first of all I had backed away from Sam, and secondly that I'd said that with so much venom in my tone, but I wasn't in the mood to rethink my voice instead I took a shaky breath and fixed my eyes on Matt.

"Okay Matt show us what you found" I nodded, but even I could hear the pain in my voice. He nodded, looking a little uncomfortable before he walked away and I felt Dean's hand on my shoulder.

"Don't" I said, shaking his hand off before I followed Matt a little further down, in order to escape the boys, but also so that I could rub over my left breast, where the pain was the most torturous as my heart ached at how harsh Sam's feelings towards his father had been, he even resented Dean at times to be the one who had John's affection. Sam actually resented Dean! And Dean was jealous of Sam! What the fuck was the world coming to?

I felt the holes Sam stared into Dean and I breathed deeply, ignoring the fact that they were having a glaring contest as I followed Matt further into the clearing that we had been near, aware of the confused looks that he was sending me but I brushed them off, and instantly I heard the sounds of tons of insects fill my ears.

"I've been keeping track of the insect populations as part of a, um AP science class" Matt explained and I smiled at him before nodding as I heard Dean scoff from behind me.

"Wow, you are like two peas in a pod" he said and I felt the frustration coming off him like waves so I scrunched my hands up, my nails biting into my palm but it kept me sane.

"What's been happening?" Sam asked and I was thankful that he didn't verbally rise up to Dean's comment, but it pissed him off to the point that he wanted to smack some sense into his brother.

"A lot. I mean from earthworms, to bees, beetles. It's like they're congregating here" Matt replied and I frowned in reply, having no idea what that meant, unless there was something interesting here that the insects knew of? I frowned and walked a little way away from them, scouting out the area before I saw a strange patch of grass.

"Why?" Dean asked and Matt shrugged.

"I don't know" was his simple response.

"What's this?" I asked, turning to look over my shoulder, seeing the three guys walk towards me where I led them over to the grass.

"Ugh, more fucking insects" I sighed, shivering at the thousands of worms that had congregated here and I saw Matt chuckle so I glared at him.

"You put a tarantula on me, I will rip off your testicles" I stated and saw that he looked amused.

"Oh, she's not joking. She hates spiders" Dean stated and Matt suddenly became afraid as Dean stepped onto the path of darkened grass, where the worms fell in, creating a hole. I walked over to him in curiosity, careful of where I stepped before looking at my brother and frowning. He bent and picked up a stick, before poking around and creating an even bigger hole

"There's definitely something down there" he stated and I frowned at his back as Sam shone the light of his flashlight down into the hole. Dean pushed his arm into the hole, a look of disgust on his face as he felt around before wincing and pulling his arm back, to reveal a skull, covered in worms. I gagged a little and saw that Sam, Dean and Matt looked horrified. I wriggled my nose before walking closer to Dean.

"Don't flick the worms at me" I pleaded and he rolled his eyes at me but nodded as he straightened up and I frowned before holding my hand out for the skull, which he carefully placed into my hand and I studied it, frowning in thought. I bit my lip as I concentrated, filing through the information I had on the Anthropology course I'd taken last year. Not that Dean or John knew since I didn't tell them and did the work whenever we travelled since we would drive for hours a day and I had my laptop which had all my work on it.

"We may want to get a professional's opinion, and I know there is a Department of Anthropology at the college nearby but… I'm gonna say that the skull looks old. Easily over a century, maybe closer to two centuries" I stated, looking at Sam and Dean and nodding at their confused faces before I bit my lip as I looked around the area, making a quick decision in my head. If it was around two hundred years old, then it was before Americans fully settled.

"If it's nearly two hundred years old, then it was before the settlers came and fully settled, possible Native American remains?" I suggested, focusing my attention back on the boys before shrugging and handing the skull back to Dean, where I brushed my hands off on my jeans.

"But again a professional opinion would be a good idea. Dean is there anything else in there?" I asked, nodding back to the hole and Dean frowned at me before shaking his head and shrugging. He crouched down again and handed me the skull.

"I think so" he stated and I nodded in reply, going over to stand next to Sam and hand the skull to an interested Matt who began studying and questioning me on my observation, allowing me to forget about the pains in my chest which were starting to disappear.

We pulled up outside the building of the Department of Anthropology and Sam and Dean climbed out of the car before I turned to glare at Dean warningly as I handed him the box of bones that we'd found. I was now positive it was between 150-180 years ago, as to how old the bones were.

"So, a bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave" Sam began as the three of us started towards the building. Dean shrugged in reply.

"Yeah. Maybe this is a haunting? Pissed off spirit? Maybe unfinished business?" Dean asked and Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe. But question is, why now and why bugs?" he replied, sounding just as confused.

"That's two questions" Dean taunted but Sam obviously ignored him. I could feel that both boys were still simmering and I groaned.

"Don't" I warned Dean and he frowned at me.

"What?" he bit back and I sighed, rolling my eyes and massaging my temples but shook my head, knowing I wouldn't be able to stop what I knew was bound to come. Might as well just ride it out. I took a deep breath and emotionally and mentally took a step back, erecting my wall between me and the guys again. I'd let my guard down last time and I'd paid the price, they obviously had a lot of unresolved issues.

"So with that kid back there… why'd you, uh, tell him to ditch his family?" Dean asked and I gritted my teeth together.

"I just uh… I know what the kid's going through" Sam replied and I breathed deeply through my nose.

"How 'bout tellin' him to respect his old man? How's that for advice?" Dean shot back and I groaned, deciding to walk a little behind them, since that way I wouldn't have their body heat blowing in my direction, and therefore bringing unwanted emotes with said body heat. It was strange how things happened really.

"Dean, come on" Sam said, coming to a standstill and because Dean was focused solely on him he also stopped just a second after Sam. I paused to, deciding that I would pay attention to this conversation, not that I was needed but I may be able to throw something into the conversation.

"This isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect dad. That's what this is about" Sam stated and I bit my lip harder as I felt their emotions pushing against my mental wall. Wow, I had never felt emotions as strong as these, but that's what happens after four years of pent up emotion I suppose.

"Just forget it alright, forget I brought it up" Dean sighed. He believed that Sam could've respected their father more at times, but he was tired of this. Of this argument and constantly being the middle man in Sam's and John's arguments. He was tired of the fighting within his family. They should be sticking together, not snapping at each other.

"I respected him Dean. But whatever I did, it was never good enough" Sam stated and I looked at him in disbelief, letting lose the snort, causing both boys to look at me and glare in a 'stay out of this it isn't your fight' kind of way so I reluctantly held my hands up, but couldn't help but feel hurt at that. That was the problem, nothing could ever bother me or hurt me as much as what Sam, Dean and John could. They didn't realise the power they had over me and that scared me more than anything.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that dad was disappointed in you?" Dean asked and Sam shrugged in reply, which was a little hard considering he was carrying a box full of bones.

"Was? Is. Always has been" he sighed and I could feel how upset this made him. I swallowed and closed my eyes briefly, picturing the wall becoming thicker and stronger in my mind before I opened my eyes and looked at my boys again.

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked, a frown starting to cover his face.

"Because I didn't wanna bowhunt or hustle pool. Because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which in our whacked-out family, made me the freak" Sam sighed and I took a step back as his emotions pressed down on me again. What the fuck was wrong with me today? What was happening? Oh yeah, Sam always preferred playing soccer to bowhunting with Dean and I, but John always pulled him into it, which just made Sam more rebellious.

"Yeah, you were kind of like the blonde chick from The Munsters" Dean said and I rolled my eyes at his lame joke.

"Dean, you know what most dads are when their kid scores a full ride? Proud. Most dads don't throw their kids out of the house" Sam sighed and although I'm sure Dean didn't detect it, I did, I heard the waver in his voice. Okay so this pained him more than he let on. Dean sighed before nodding.

"I remember that fight, in fact I remember a few choice words comin' out of your mouth" he said and I bit my lip at that comment. Dean had a point, but so did Sam. The only problem though was the fact that Sam had no idea just how proud John was of him. He'd made Sam and Sam had inherited good genes, and was incredibly smart. Smart enough to score a full scholarship. But John didn't know how to react, so he did the first thing he thought of, he yelled in the hopes that Sam would go to college and enjoy his life, because John couldn't give him what he wanted; a normal life.

"You know truth is, when we find dad… I don't even know if he's gonna wanna see me" Sam said and I saw his eyes watering but he quickly blinked them back. I think it was then that Dean realised that Sam was hurt and angry at their dad for treating him like that. I sighed quietly, before walking away. They weren't my family and I had no right to listen to their conversation. Just because I knew how John felt didn't mean I had a right to interfere with them.

"Sam, dad was never disappointed in you. Never. He was scared" Dean stated and that was the last I heard of that conversation since I walked all the way up the building and sat down on the steps where I rested my arms along my legs and buried my face into them, trying my best to keep the tears at bay. I couldn't cry, because I was a mess when I cried and the boys would know instantly. I couldn't have them asking me what was wrong, and me being too scared to tell them. First of all there were these strange things that kept happening, but for some reason it was so much stronger, I actually felt what Sam and Dean felt! And I swear at some point I even tapped into their thought processes to the point where I started to feel like them. That had never happened, or at least not in the time that I had these abilities back. And that scared me, what else could I do then? Were these just the start?

Then there was the fact that I felt so alone. Sam and Dean had each other, they had John when we found him, because I knew he wasn't dead, I formed enough of a connection that I'm sure I would've felt it in my gut if he died. I had no one, the boys weren't my family no matter how much I loved them, no matter how much Dean and I called each other brother or sister, it would never be like that. I was completely alone, I had no family and Sam and Dean needed each other, they always had done. I wasn't needed now that Sam was back because he gave Dean something I couldn't, his family, his blood family. And it hurt! Dean was right when we first found out that something had happened to John, this wasn't anything to do with me, because I wasn't family. But it was my fight because like it or not John had a lot to do with how I was brought up and I still felt like I had a duty to protect Sam and Dean, not that they would need it. I sighed and lifted my head, realising that I'd actually been crying, so I wiped my eyes and got to my feet, seeing the boys walking over, Sam looking a little shocked and out of it, but I had a feeling that Dean had told him about the frequent cruises past Stanford we would do every now and then just to check everything was okay and nothing weird was going on. Of course that would shock Sam, he didn't know how loved he was by his dad.

I smiled and nodded before turning and making my way into the building, searching for the Professor's room who we were going to see, since he specialised in this and we'd made an appointment to see him not long after Dean found another set of bones, and after we'd sent Matt away.

"So you are students?" the Professor asked the three of us and I smiled before nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah, uh, we're in your class Anthro one-oh-one" Sam replied and the Professor nodded.

"Oh, yeah" he replied and I wasn't sure whether he was saying 'oh yeah' in an 'I remember sort of way' but there was no way he could remember us, since this was the first time he was seeing us. Though I knew college lectures consisted of a room full of people.

"So, what about the bones Professor?" Dean asked and the Professor frowned a little.

He'd taken a look at the bones as soon as Sam had placed the box on the table in front of him. Obviously not only did he teach it, but it was something that he enjoyed doing when it came to the practical aspect.

"Well, they are a very interesting find. I'd say the bones were around one hundred and seventy years old, give or take. The timeframe and geographical aspect suggest that they were Native American" the Professor stated. I saw Sam and Dean glance at me in surprise since I had said the same, but I wasn't skilled enough to provide an actual age, just an average guess. Sam cleared his throat and turned back to the Professor, but I knew this wasn't the end and that I would have some explaining to do later on.

"Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" I asked and the Professor turned to look at me.

"Not in the historical records, but the relocation of, uh, native peoples was very common at that time" he answered and I nodded slowly as I processed that information.

"Are there any local legends? Oral histories about the area?" Sam asked.

"Well, there's a Euchee tribe out in Sapulpa. About sixty miles from here. Someone out there might know the truth" he said and I smiled in reply when he glanced at me before he frowned at me.

"What did you say your name was again?" he asked and I smiled slightly.

"My name's Ali, sir" I replied and he frowned in reply before nodding slowly.

"I had a student called Ali last year. She aced the first year but never came back" he frowned and I bit my lip before shrugging in reply but saw Sam and Dean glance at me, but I ignored them knowing that if I acknowledged their look that I would crumble and right now we didn't have the time for the bitch fit that I knew was likely of Dean to throw.

"Thank you for your help, sir" Sam said, sticking his hand out and shaking the Professor's hand, before Dean shook his hand and then myself.

"Err, very quickly, do you know anyone in particular who might be of help in Sapulpa?" I asked and the man frowned before shrugging slightly.

"Well I've spoken to one of the men there, his name is Joe White Tree and he has helped me understand some of the Native American legends that I've been curious about. He could help you" the professor replied and I smiled before nodding.

"Thank you" I said a final time before leading the boys out of the classroom, where we walked down the halls in silence and headed outside towards the car where we all climbed in and Dean drove off in the direction of Sapulpa.

We approached the diner that one of the men on the road had pointed us towards when we stopped to ask directions just inside the town. Dean walked in first, closely followed by Sam and I hesitantly walked after them, unsure if they were angry with me for some reason because the silence in the car suggested that.

"Joe White Tree?" Sam asked, approaching a Native American man who was sat down at one of the tables playing with the cards he had in front of him. He looked up and nodded.

"Yeah" he replied.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions if that's alright?" Sam asked and Dean stepped forward a little bit.

"We're students from the university" Dean said and the man shook his head. I bit my lip, Native Americans were known, back when their tribes ruled the lands, for having spiritual powers and were still associated with such things even now. It's where shamans originated from, since they were the wise men and healers of the tribe. A Native American as old as Joe White Tree was likely to know the stories as well as understand the practices of shamans, especially if the knowledge was passed down to him from a shaman. He would be able to pick up on the fact that Dean was lying.

"No you're not, you're lying" he replied and I saw that Dean looked shocked, though he should've expected it really, but then again the Native Americans had interested me at times when I was younger, so I suppose I should've warned him that this may happen.

"Well truth is-" Dean began and the old man scoffed.

"You know who starts sentences with 'truth is'? Liars" he stated and I saw Dean look at Sam so I took a step forwards, sensing that Dean was a little unsure now.

"Have you heard of Oasis Plains?" I asked and Sam nodded from where he was standing next to me.

"It's a housing development near the Atoka valley" Sam finished and the man smiled before looking at Dean.

"I like them. They're not liars" he stated and I saw that this annoyed Dean. Lying was something that was needed to do this job, Dean was just doing his job, but what he had never learned was that sometimes telling part of the truth was better than flat out lying, especially to native peoples who had weird wavelengths.

"I know the area" Joe White Tree nodded, answering mine and Sam's question.

"What can you tell us of the history there?" Sam asked and the man looked thoughtful for a second.

"Why do you wanna know?" he asked, seemingly a little curious and a little suspicious at the same time. I bit my lip, before deciding to answer, and be as honest as possible.

"Something's happening there, something bad, and we believe that it might have something to do with some bones that we found, Native American bones" I replied and the man nodded in reply, obviously my answer was good enough for him.

"Well, I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him" he began and I nodded in reply, eager to find out what he had to say. I loved stories like these, especially since I was interested with the Native American tribes when I was younger. There was just something about them, and about the fact that they were normal people but had a mystical aspect about them, especially when it involved shamans.

"Two hundred years ago, a band of my people lived in that valley. One day American cavalry came to relocate them. My people resisted which made the American cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, when the moon and the sun share the sky as equals the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next and the next. On the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time, and by the time the sun rose, every man, woman and child still in the village was dead. They say that on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish those lands again. And if that were to happen, then nature would rise up and protect the valley, bringing as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry brought to his people" Joe explained and I paused for a moment, long enough to collect my thoughts. Nature? As in insects?

"Insects. Sounds like nature to me. Six days?" Dean said, and I knew he was double checking. Joe White Tree nodded.

"And on the night of the sixth day, none would survive" he stated and I looked at Sam and Dean too see them exchanging a worried glance.

"Thank you for that. It was interesting" I said and he nodded in reply.

"I hope that helped" he said and I nodded in reply before Sam and Dean said their thanks and we walked out of the diner.

"What day did the gas company man die?" I asked, deciding that it was a good idea to figure out what day it was.

"Err, well we got here Tuesday so, uh, Friday the twentieth" Dean stated and I closed my eyes before letting out a groan.

"March twentieth is the day of the spring equinox" I stated. Knowing when the equinoxes happened since that was also something I was interested in and had been as a child. I used to have tons of books on things like this, which is why I was usually better at research. My enjoyment of such things made me extremely quick.

"That's when the sun and the moon share the sky as an equal" Dean stated and I nodded in reply.

"So around this time every year, anybody in Oasis Plains is in danger. Larry built the place on cursed land" Sam stated and I sighed quietly. Why couldn't people research these things beforehand? It would save us some trouble after all, which meant we could be searching for John instead. But this was our job, which meant that we needed to keep Larry and his family safe, or find a way to break the curse, otherwise they were dead.

"And on the sixth night, that's tonight" Dean stated.

"Which means Larry's family will be dead by sunrise. What do we do?" Sam asked and I frowned, biting my lip in thought since I was already going through possible solutions.

"I don't think we can break it" I sighed. I didn't recall any word of any sort of curses being broken. Dean nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, you don't break a curse; you get out of its way. We need to get those people out now" Dean stated and Sam nodded in reply as we approached the Impala and the three of us climbed in.

Dean instantly began driving before fumbling around with his phone, calling someone up, probably Larry since his family were the only ones I was aware of who were still in Oasis Plains.

"Mr Pike?" Dean asked and I sighed, leaning forwards on my arms which were resting against the back of the front seat.

"This is Travis from the gas company. I'm calling you to say that we have a detected a gas issue" Dean stated. There was a pause and I could hear the faint sound of Larry's voice on the other end of the phone but I couldn't make out what was being said.

"Yes Mr Pike, there's a mainline gas leak in your neighbourhood" Dean said and I heard the faint sound of Larry's voice on the other end.

"Well, I don't mean to alarm you but it's fairly extensive. We need you and your family out of the vicinity for at least twelve hours, just to be safe" Dean said before I saw him roll his eyes.

"It's Travis Weaver. I work for Oklahoma Gas and Power company" Dean stated obviously annoyed at being asked to repeat himself. I heard the faint sound of Larry's voice on the other end.

"Uh…" Dean trailed off and I could see the panic on his face before he removed the phone from his ear and cancelled the call. Obviously that hadn't gone very well, Larry had probably realised that it wasn't Travis calling him.

"Give me the phone" Sam huffed, snatching the phone away from his brother before dialling a number and placing the phone to his ear.

"Matt, it's Sam" Sam stated and I frowned at the fact that he had called Matt. If he was expecting the kid to be able to get his family out of the house then he was wrong. If Larry hadn't believed his son when he told him about the strange behaviour of the insects, then he definitely wouldn't believe him about the fact that there were probably killer butterflies after them.

"Look Matt, listen to me. You need to get your family out of that house right now" Sam urged and it seemed as though Matt was a little scared.

"Something's coming" Sam stated, obviously in reply to Matt's 'why' question.

"Yeah a lot more" Sam replied and I gathered that Matt had caught on to the fact that there were more bugs coming. I was waiting for the line of how would he persuade his father when he doesn't listen to him. Sam sighed and shook his head.

"You need to make him listen, okay?" Sam said and I rolled my eyes, because that would be so easy. Larry wouldn't have a sudden change of heart. Dean groaned and turned to glare at Sam.

"Give me the phone" he said, but Sam didn't pay him any attention.

"Give me the phone" he urged, but didn't wait for Sam to reply, instead he just snatched the phone off Sam.

"Matt, under no circumstances are you to tell the truth. They'll just think you're nuts" he stated and I sighed, rolling my eyes at the boys. Yeah because that wouldn't be confusing for the sixteen year old kid would it?

"Tell him you have a sharp pain in your right side and that you need to go to the hospital okay?" Dean suggested before nodding and he hung up, placing the phone back where he got it from and glancing at Sam.

"Tell him the truth" he snorted, before shaking his head at his brother.

"What were you thinking?" he said but Sam remained quiet, obviously he wasn't sure how to respond to that. Just because his father would've believed him doesn't mean everyone else would've, no one is that open minded unless they are incredibly superstitious and no one has seen the amount of shit that we have.

Dean pressed down on the gas a little more and we sped back towards Oasis Plains, which shouldn't take too long since we were only sixty miles outside and luckily it didn't take too long because a little while later we pulled up outside out the house and I groaned out loud, seeing the lights were still on and Larry watching through the window.

"Damn it, they're still here" Dean stated as I watched Larry walk away from the window and appear on the steps as the three of us climbed out of the car.

"Get off my property, before I call the cops" Larry stated, sounding annoyed, angry and scared. Damn it! Matt had obviously told him the truth! What an idiot? Believing that something like that would be so easy. Life was never easy. Matt soon walked out of the front door, joining us as he did so.

"Mr Pike, just listen" Sam said, trying to calm the man down as Matt turned towards him father.

"Dad, they're just trying to help" he stated but Larry wasn't having it so with a sigh, Matt turned to face us.

"I'm sorry, I told him the truth" he stated and I saw Dean's frustration at this.

"We had a plan, what happened to the plan?" he asked, throwing his arms out a little.

"Look, it's twelve am. They'll be here soon so you need to get your family and go, before it's too late" Sam encouraged and Larry snorted.

"Yeah? Before the biblical swarm?" he asked and I breathed deeply to keep my cool, otherwise I would've lashed out and said a few words to him that would've made everything ten times worse. My anger was becoming a problem at the moment. My emotions in general seemed to be a problem.

"What do you think happened to the gas company worker, Larry? And Lynda, your realtor? Can't you see that something weird is goin' on here?" I asked, but instead of coming across calmly, I sounded annoyed. Which I was really.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. You come near my boy or my family again, and we're gonna have a problem" Larry stated and I snorted in reply.

"Well, I hate to be a downer, but we have a problem now" Dean stated and I sighed, rubbing my now warm forehead, which was starting to burn instead of ache and I had that horrible, burning/tired feeling starting behind my eyes.

"Dad, they're right okay. We're in danger" Matt said and I watched as Larry glared at his boy. He thought his son was doing this to be awkward and cause trouble. He thought it was a way of attention seeking. But he hadn't considered that he might actually be telling the truth.

"Matt, get inside now" Larry said firmly and Matt huffed.

"No! Why won't you listen to me?" he argued back.

"Because it's crazy. It doesn't make sense" he stated and I rolled my eyes.

"Sometimes the crazy has more truth than what seems normal" I stated adding a shrug and Larry turned his gaze on me, seeing how calm I now was.

"Just because it doesn't make sense, doesn't mean it isn't a possibility. Listen to your boy Larry, he is your flesh and blood, why do you dismiss whatever he says or does?" I asked, trying to get through to him. But he wasn't happy with my statement and I had a feeling that Sam sensed that as well, but I was way passed trying to convince Larry, instead I turned around and faced the horizon, squinting to make anything out because it was at that moment that my skin started to crawl. It felt as though thousands of insects were crawling all over my body, the feeling was unnatural and my flesh had broken out in a cold sweat, which made me shiver.

"Look this land is cursed, people have died here, now do you really want to take that risk with your family?" Sam persuaded and I gulped.

"Boys" I stated and felt Dean freeze behind me.

"Do you hear that?" he asked and I turned to look at him, my eyes probably wide before I nodded, a buzzing sound soon accompanied Dean's statement.

"What the hell?" Larry asked through the silence, as the longer we were silent, the louder the noise became. I glanced at Dean who look a little panicked before he turned to Larry.

"Alright, time to go. Larry get your wife" he stated and I saw Matt looking in the direction that I had been looking at a few moments ago.

"Guys" he stated and we all looked at what he was looking at, seeing a mass swarm on the horizon, drawing near. I glanced away for a second at a bug light further down, which I watched as it obviously became hotter, killing the bugs within in as I looked back at the group of four males.

"Oh my god" Larry gasped and I looked back to see the swarm of bugs getting closer.

"We'll never make it" Sam stated and I gulped as Dean stepped forwards.

"Everybody get inside. Everybody, in the house, go" he urged, ushering us forwards and we all hurried inside, pushing the door closed, but that wouldn't hold long.

"Okay, is there anybody else in the neighbourhood?" Sam asked as Larry locked the door after us. He shook his head in reply.

"No it's just us" he stated as Joanie walked into the hallway from one of the rooms.

"Honey, what's happening? What's that noise?" she questioned, sounding confused and a little freaked out. Yeah I would be freaked out too if I were her.

"Call nine-one-one" Larry said to his wife but she stood there, frozen.

"Joanie, now" he urged and she walked off.

"I need towels" Dean stated and Larry thought for a second.

"Uh, in the closet" he said and Dean nodded as I saw Sam turn to Matt.

"Okay, we need to lock up. Windows, doors, fireplaces- we need to lock up everything, okay?" he said and Matt nodded in reply, before the two of them hurried upstairs.

"Phone's dead" Joanie stated and I sighed in reply.

"They're must have chewed through the phone lines" Dean stated as he hurried over to the door, holding a bunch of towels which he began putting against the slight gap. The power went out at the moment, rendering us into darkness and I sighed.

"And the power lines" Dean and I stated at once. He looked at me over his shoulder and I smiled before nodding at him, deciding to check that everything down here was locked too, so I went off and walked around every room, checking the windows and anything else that the bugs could get through.

"I need my cell" I heard Larry say, before I heard some shuffling.

"No signal" he sighed and I rolled my eyes at this. Of course not, the phone lines are down, idiot!

"You won't get a signal, they're blanketing the house" Dean stated as I walked back over to them, after checking everything that I could see, that would just have to do. Sam and Matt returned as Dean said that and I looked over to see the bugs beginning to cover the windows and doors, which meant that they were doing the same to the rest of the house.

"So, what do we do?" Larry asked. Oh now you believe us! When it's too fucking late! I watched as Dean walked off, in the direction of what I remembered was the kitchen.

"We wait it out, hopefully the curse ends at sunrise" Sam replied and Larry looked surprised and scared.

"Hopefully?" he asked and I rolled my eyes before thinking of something.

"Joanie?" I asked, capturing the woman's attention.

"Do you have hairspray? Presumably aerosol?" I asked and she frowned at me as Larry glared.

"Are you seriously worrying about your hair when we could die?" he asked and I turned to glare at him.

"No! I'm not that naïve. I don't tell you how to do your job, you don't tell me how to do mine" I stated and saw Sam frown at the harsh tone of voice I used before I turned back to Joanie.

"Do you?" I asked politely and she frowned before sighing and shaking her head in reply.

"No I don't" she stated and I closed my eyes briefly before sighing and nodding.

"Okay, never mind" I said before turning in the direction of the kitchen.

"Dean, you find anything useful?" I yelled just as he returned, holding a can of bug spray. I lifted my eyebrows at him and shook my head in amusement.

"Bug spray?" Joanie asked, her voice lifting a few octaves in fright.

"Trust me" he stated and I turned to face Sam and Matt, nodding at them just as a cracking noise echoed around where we were standing.

"What's that?" Matt asked and I frowned at Sam, him returning the favour before I saw the realisation on his face as the answer came to me.

"The flue?" we questioned each other, before turning in the direction of the fireplace in the living area.

"Alright, I think everyone needs to get upstairs" Dean stated and I turned to the Pike family and nodded, urging them to move. We turned to head upstairs just as a boom was heard and I turned around, to see bugs bursting from the flue, swarming into the room. Dean sprayed the can, placing a lit lighter in front, making the fire spread out and burn some of the insects, but there wasn't much of the spray left and it wouldn't last forever.

"Alright, everyone upstairs, now" Dean pushed again and I ushered the family up the stairs.

"Attic" I stated and saw Larry nod as he ran down the corridor upstairs, his wife and son close behind him with Sam following close behind me. I heard Dean spraying a little way back and gathered he was buying us some time.

We approached the hatch and Larry pulled the stairs down before he ushered his wife up them, closely followed by Matt. I looked back, seeing Sam and Dean approaching quickly, but I wasn't going up the stairs to the attic until the boys did, well at least until Sam did since Dean was fending off the bugs as best as he could.

"Go" Sam urged, waving his hand, gesturing for me to get up the stairs, but I waited it out until he got to me where I grabbed his belt and pushed him up the stairs, quickly but not quick enough that I didn't miss the glare he sent me. Dean ran over to us, turning back to spray and use the lighter but I could tell he was running low on the fuel so I grabbed the ladder and hastened up them, falling through the hole into the attic.

"Dean" I urged, calling down to my brother through the hole, where he quickly ran up the ladder and landed next to me as Sam wrestled with the pulley, bringing the stairs back up and closing the hatch to the attic after us.

We sat there for a minute, gaining our breaths back, but I wasn't out of breath, nor was my heart pumping as fast as what it should in such a situation. Wow, I was getting way too familiar with life or death situations. But the peace didn't last long because sawdust started to fall from the ceiling and I coughed, waving my hand to disperse the dust, but froze when I heard the buzzing sound become louder.

"Oh god what's that?" Joanie asked, breathless with fright and I turned to look at Dean who was frowning.

"Sounds like something's eating through the wood" he stated and I bit my lip at this fact. There was no way we could keep them safe if swarms of bugs flew into the attic.

"Termites" Matt stated and I lifted an eyebrow at the side of his head but he didn't turn in my direction.

"Alright everyone, move. Get back, get back" Dean urged and I watched as Larry, Joanie and Matt moved as far as they could, ending in themselves squishing into a corner in the attic. Dean looked at me in a 'you too' way but I rolled my eyes and turned away, scanning the room, ready for the bugs to lash out at us as soon as they emerged. Dean and Sam withdrew ranks, placing themselves closer to me as the buzzing became louder and it was then that a hole fell in through the attic and a swarm of bugs flew inside.

The three of us hurried over and tried patching up the hole in the roof as quickly as we could with the materials we had and as soon as we patched that up, two more holes fell in, letting in more bugs which started to cloud the room a little.

I watched as Dean tried fending them off with the bug spray as Sam and I closed ranks around the Pike family, covering our heads with jackets as we swatted at the insects, which of course did nothing, just as Dean's bug spray apparently had no effect either. I heard him approach us and place his arm around my shoulders, lifting the collar on his jacket up and covering both of our heads with his jacket as we decided to wait it out and hope for the best.

I started shivering, feeling a little cold, when suddenly the buzzing died down and I looked up to see the bugs disappearing through the holes that they had created to invade the house. I glanced at Sam and Dean in confusion and saw that they were feeling the same so we walked over to one of the holes and glanced through, seeing the swarm of insects fading away as the sun rose. Okay so maybe the curse did end at sunrise. Well that was reassuring. We were alive at least.

"They've gone" I stated, looking over at the three people who were starting to unravel out of their huddle and look around gratefully and in shock. They nodded in reply and we made our way back through the attic and towards the hatch, where the three of us climbed out and back down into the hallway to observe any damage the swarm may have done.

"Everything looks okay" I stated and turned to see Larry nod slightly, but he seemed a little out of it. Then again if I'd nearly died at the hands of a swarm of insects because of a curse, I would probably be feeling a little dazed too.

"You'll be safe now, until next year at least, when this time arrives again" Dean stated and the family looked a little shocked but nodded in reply as we made our way back through the house to the front door.

"We hope you don't mind, but we're going to go and sort some things out. We'll be back a little later on" I said and Larry turned to nod at me so I sent him a smile and held that as I looked at Joanie, who tried and failed to smile back, before looking at Matt, who smiled and nodded in reply.

I turned and walked out of the door as Sam and Dean said their goodbyes for now and I walked over to the Impala, grateful that nothing had happened to her, knowing that Dean would be grateful as well. The boys soon appeared and we all climbed into the car, before Dean pulled away obviously in search of a motel where we could get some sleep for seven hours or so.

I woke up, sweating again and glanced around the room to see that I had fallen asleep at the table, my laptop in front of me, the screen black and it became obvious that it was dead when I wiggled the mouse.

I sighed and brushed a hand through my hair, sweeping back the strands that had fallen out of my plait as well as pushing away my bangs, which had fallen over my face and stuck to my sweaty skin. I breathed deeply, restoring the oxygen to my body since I had dreamt of fire again. I remembered parts, I was stuck in a bedroom and it was on fire and I could hear voices but it was weird because I couldn't make anything clear out, but knew that the voices were meant to be heard by me, that they carried a message that I needed to hear, but perhaps wasn't ready to hear just yet.

The scary part was that it felt so real again. It felt as though I had been stuck in the room with the fire, I could still feel the heat of the fire as though I was standing right against it and could feel the smoke in my lungs as though I'd breathed it in and it was unnerving, because I'd never had a dream that felt so real before, and I didn't know what to think about it. With a sigh, I pushed myself to my feet, collecting my charger and plugging my laptop in to charge before I went to have a shower.

When I was dried and dressed and had returned to the bedroom, I checked the time, using the alarm clock on the nightstand next to Sam's bed and saw that it was still early, so I sighed and slid my duffel out, grabbing my notepad and opening it to a clean page before scribbling on it and ripping the page out, placing the note on the table next to my laptop before I brushed my hair through and tied it up, then grabbing my room key and my phone and quietly making my way out of the room and heading over to the diner across the road that I had spotted on the way in earlier this morning.

I needed food and caffeine in my system and I was awake now, which meant that I wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, so rather than hanging around in the room creepily watching Sam and Dean sleep, though Dean was funny when he slept sometimes, I figured that I might as well fuel my body ready for the day ahead, so I spent the next few hours there, sitting in the window so that I could see if there was any movement in the motel room and after three more hours I saw Sam pace to the window, so I ordered some coffee and food to take away before going back, letting myself in and having the door slam shut behind me, which made Dean start up in bed. I winced at him.

"Sorry, I had my hands full so there was no way that door was closing quietly" I sighed and shrugged before dumping the stuff on the table, quickly removing my coffee and food and seeing that my laptop was charged so I switched the power off and packed it away into the laptop bag and placed it into my duffel so I wouldn't have to worry about rushing around later.

"It's fine" Dean stated, getting out of bed and gathering the food and drink I had bought for him where he proceeded to sit and devour before getting ready.

"What, no good bye?" Dean asked as the three of us walked up to Larry. We had left the motel not long ago after the boys were ready and drove back to the Pike residence, only to pull up and see Larry placing boxes into a moving van. The man looked up at hearing Dean's voice.

"Good timing, another hour and we would've gone" Larry stated before shaking all of our hands. Well it seemed that waking Dean up by accidentally letting the door shut was a good thing, obviously Larry and his family probably hadn't slept last night and just wanted to move out as quickly as possible.

"For good?" Sam asked and Larry replied with a nod of his head.

"Yeah, the development's been put on hold while the government researches those bones you found. But I'm going to make damn sure no one lives here again" Larry stated and I smiled in response. Well that was good news at least, that both the development had been paused and that Larry was certain that he would stop anyone living here again.

"You don't seem too upset about it?" I observed and Larry sighed before shrugging.

"Well, this has been the biggest disaster of my career, but…" he trailed off and I saw him look away, where when I followed the direction he was looking in, I saw Matt appear, carrying come boxes.

"…somehow, I don't care" Larry finished and I turned to look back and smile at him, glad that he wasn't bothered because he wanted to restore his relationship with his son. That was a very good thing!

I saw Sam smile at Larry and him smile back before he walked over to Matt, who I could see was throwing away all of the insect crap he had.

"Well, I wish you the best for the future and with your family" I said and Larry smiled gratefully.

"You too Ali, I hope everything goes how the three of you want" he said and I smiled in reply, before shaking his hand, Dean doing the same before we walked over to the Impala and leant against it, watching Sam confer with Matt for a while before he walked over to us and leant against the Impala, in the space next to me.

It was quiet for a moment, while the three of us watched Larry and Matt, who seemed to be getting on much better than what they had when we had been around them the last few days.

"I wanna find dad" Sam suddenly said and both Dean and I looked over at him. I sent him a small smile in return.

"Yeah, me too" Dean and I stated, even though John wasn't my dad. Sam sighed at this and was quiet for a few seconds before he looked back up at us.

"Yeah I just…I just need to apologise to him" he stated and I frowned in confusion.

"For what?" Dean asked, pushing his brother which I was grateful for, since I was curious but didn't think this was my place.

"All the things I said to him. He was just doin' the best he could" Sam sighed and I sensed and heard in his voice that he was upset with everything. Dean nodded in reply and smiled.

"Don't worry, we'll find him. And then you will apologise. Then within five minutes, you two will be down each other's throats again" he said and I smiled to myself, knowing that this would in fact be true. It was just the relationship Sam and John had.

"Yeah probably" Sam said as he laughed lightly, where the three of us sat in silence for another minute, watching Larry and Matt interact a little longer.

"Let hit the road" Sam sighed and I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, lets" I sighed and Dean nodded, before the three of us climbed into the car and Dean started the engine. I leant over to the other side of the car and waved at Larry and Matt who were looking in our direction since Dean has started the car, seeing Sam and Dean wave at the two of them, which they eagerly returned and Dean pulled away, where I leaned over the boys and fiddled with the car stereo, the cassette from a few days ago began playing a Black Sabbath song and I let the sound float over me, but not really paying much attention to the song.

Dean rolled his eyes at me just before I sat back in my seat, a small smile covering my face and breathed deeply, relishing the feel of feeling freedom once again. After that nightmare that had woken me up this morning, I'd returned back to normal and hadn't felt anything overly odd so I was enjoying the freedom that I had, only feeling my own feelings and not feeling suffocated by anyone else.

"So, is there something you wanna tell us Ali?" Dean asked and I blinked, realising that I'd zoned out and was staring out of the window next to me, watching the greenery fly passed the window, since we had been driving for a while.

"Err, my butt's numb?" I tried, not really knowing what Dean was hinting at. There was no way he could know what happened when he and Sam were arguing about their father…could he? No if anything Sam would be the one to figure it out but he hadn't acted suspicious about it.

"You know that isn't what I mean" Dean stated and I frowned at the back of his head in confusion as I bit my lip, trying to think what he could be curious about, unless he was wondering if I had a nightmare or something? Which I did.

"Err, yeah I couldn't sleep again this morning, that's why I looked like I'd been awake for a long time, because I had" I stated. That had to be it, since Dean hadn't questioned me about it, but he snorted telling me that wasn't it either.

"No Ali" he groaned and I frowned harder.

"Well explain to me then Dean. I'm brilliant at reading you, but I can't read the back of your head and I may know you well but I don't know you that well" I huffed and Sam sighed, before turning in his seat slightly to face me.

"What Dean is trying and failing to say is, the business with the bones?" Sam said and I sighed as I understood what he meant.

"Well he should've phrased it like that then. I'm not a fucking mind reader" I huffed and Sam smiled slightly.

"You're getting off topic" Sam stated and I sighed, before wiping a hand down my face as I thought of how to phrase this, but no matter how I said it, I knew that Dean would throw a fit so I decided that ripping the band aid off would be the best. I shrugged and fixed Sam with a look, deciding that watching his reaction would be better, since I would hear Dean's reaction.

"You aren't the only one who took college courses my dear Sammy" I stated and saw Sam's eyebrows rise and his jaw drop a little in surprise as Dean lost control of the car, making her swerve slightly.

"Shit" he cursed, getting her back under control before pulling over onto the hard shoulder and turning the Impala off before he climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. I winced and looked at Sam who sighed and sent me an encouraging smile before he climbed out of the car too. Either Dean was going to be pissed, or he was going to be hurt so I sighed and climbed out of the car, ready for my lecture. Oh funny, lecture and I'm on about college courses! Okay, now isn't the time to tell myself pathetic jokes because they only made me more worried to find out Dean's reaction.

I slammed the door shut after myself but stayed on this side of the car because Dean wouldn't risk throwing anything at me in case he harmed the car. Sam was standing opposite me, but leaning against the driver's side as Dean stood by the side of the road, leaning against the fence that separated the hard shoulder from the field that lay on the other side. I bit my lip and walked around the front of the car to stand beside Sam, who glanced at me but said nothing. Obviously this was a shock to him as well. I sighed and left the safety of Sam's side, instead walking over to Dean's left hand side, where there was space on the fence, so I rested my arms on top and leaned against them. Dean didn't glance at me but I could tell by his body language, by how tense he'd gotten that he knew I was there, but we stood in silence for a little while as I allowed Dean to collect his thoughts since I could tell he didn't know what to say to me.

"Let me get this right. You took a college course?" he asked and I bit my lip, turning my head to look at him before nodding in reply.

"How? What? Why?" he asked and I sighed before turning around and boosting myself up on top of the fence so that I could look down at Dean's face easier. I looked over at Sam to see that he was watching us intently and I smiled at him in amusement, knowing he had decided to keep his distance in case this turned out badly. I moved my head, motioning him over and he grinned, shaking his head in amusement before walking over. I could tell that he thought I was calling him over as back-up, but that wasn't the point. I figured I would tell both of the boys, so I waited until Sam approached, where he rested his left arm on the fence next to me and leaned against it.

"I took a course in Anthropology, English Lit and History" I began and saw Sam look at me in interest which made me smile down at him and shake my head since he looked astonished. Just because I never showed signs of being that smart, didn't mean I wasn't capable of it.

"And Dean, you don't have to physically go to a college and sit in a classroom to learn" I began, shrugging my shoulders at my brother who frowned at me and I smiled slightly.

"I applied for an online course. They sent me all the resources that I would need through as well as allowing me to contact my professors if I needed the help. Some of them also videoed their lectures for me and sent those to me in an email" I stated and Dean pursed his lips in thought before nodding, gesturing for me to go on, but I was collecting my thoughts, trying to decide how best to say this next thing, but I snuck a glance at Sam to see that he was impressed. I swallowed and turned back to Dean.

"What you seem to have forgotten is that for the first seven years of my life my parents had to buy me a shitload of books because I learned quick. I craved knowledge. Any knowledge, anything interesting and I wanted to know it. In particular it was histories, it was legends and civilisations. I loved History, especially when it came to Ancient History and I loved the artefacts and beliefs and cultures that went with it. My parents bought me so many books, on Ancient Greece, Egypt, the Native Americans. Everything on early civilisations and I read every one they bought me. The few times we went to school, History and English were always my favourite subjects and even though schoolwork was hard to fit around Hunting when I grew older I still found ways, as did Sam. But Hunting always came first, it was the only thing I had to keep me rooted anywhere, it was the only thing that I shared with you and your dad and Sam" I said, speaking solely to Dean, but sneaking glances at Sam now and then. I sighed and saw that Dean looked surprised.

"While you and John Hunted, Sam and I would do schoolwork, but whereas it was a priority for Sam, it came second for me, since the first was keeping you alive as best as possible and that meant researching. You both know that when it comes to research I can make links faster and discover things about five minutes quicker than Sam, purely because my love of learning things started when I was young and that never left. But I never thought about school much, I talked to Sam about it plenty of times, I knew he wanted to go to Law school before you and John did because Sam knew that I was balanced in how I acted, but he wanted normal. He wanted school and exams and jobs that paid real money. That was never an option for me, I mean sure, I would've loved to go to college and explore my options, but the idea of taking that step scared me" I shrugged at this and saw that Dean looked more surprised the more I said. I sent him a small smile. I just hoped he wouldn't be disappointed in me.

"When Sam first told me that he wanted to go to college I was supportive, I mean he was doing something that I could only dream about. After all the only thing tying me to this earth was you guys and I didn't want to leave you. Simple as that, but when I saw how excited Sam was I began to wonder what I would miss out on, so I researched a couple of colleges and found that they did those courses, and that some colleges were close to Stanford and others were far. I thought about the idea of talking to you guys about it, but the only problem was that I hadn't applied for colleges and whatnot and they weren't aware of me, Sam got a full ride and I would've had to pay and we didn't have that kind of money that could be wasted on college for me" I sighed at this, looking away from Dean and focusing on my hands, which I had been playing with, wringing them out and picking my nails in nervousness for the past five minutes. I blinked and looked at Dean, he looked sad and upset, before I looked at Sam to see that he looked guilty and little pale. I smiled before looking back at Dean, where he then reached for my hand and I gripped his tightly before clearing my throat.

"Anyway, I thought I could mention it to you and see if you had any ideas, since you are usually better to ask about money than your dad. But Sam beat me to it, I planned on talking to you about it the night that Sam announced he was going away to Stanford, so as to plan those few years I had until I went to college. After witnessing the fallout between him and John, I figured that college wasn't worth losing my only family. The only people I had left in my life who I knew I could count on for the time being" I stated, blinking back the tears and heard both of the boys pull in shaky breaths.

It was tough to talk about, because I did have dreams, I had goals. Even if I was a Hunter for the rest of my life, just saying I was a graduate of some kind would mean something to me, because I knew that I wouldn't leave my boys as long as they needed me. I didn't want to take the risk of losing them, especially seeing how sad Dean and John were when Sam left and they hardly kept in contact with him. I didn't want to be in that amount of pain, because I doubted I would focus on my studies. I sighed and swallowed around the lump in my throat.

"After watching Sam walk out on us all and seeing how upset both you and John were that he just chose a future over his family who didn't need him but loved him, well I figured that I wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Sam leaving hurt me and I'm not family" I said and felt both boys wince at this, but they had thrown that at me at some point in the last ten years, and I knew they felt that way sometimes when they had private arguments. I shook my head, getting rid of those thoughts.

"So if I felt that way the two of you must be feeling worse, but understand that family or not, the three of you are all I have left; my boys and I need you, more than I should at the moment. So leaving you and being in that much pain would be pointless in spending money because not being with you, not knowing if you were okay would mean I probably wouldn't be focused on my studies. I didn't see the point in it. But after seeing John throw Sam out, whether it was for Sam's own good or not because Sam would get the life he wanted; the life his dad couldn't give him, well I knew I wouldn't be able to cope without constant contact so I pushed those dreams away. I was fifteen at the time anyway, but I'd been thinking about that for a while.

And two years ago I went back to those ideas and found that some colleges did online courses, so I scoped them out and found that they were just as good as being at an actual college and didn't cost as much so I got some information and they called around the few schools we had gone to as well as the tutors who marked our work when we did the online schoolwork and they all had good things to say about me, so I was accepted as an online college student" I shrugged and Dean frowned so I smiled at him and shook my head.

"I don't know why I didn't say anything. Well I do…sort of…there was no way I was mentioning it to your dad. I didn't want to risk starting any argument of any sorts because I wasn't going to go to an actual college, I might be weird but I don't mind Hunting, the only thing I hate are the risks and the fact that it's dangerous and we could lose someone. Apart from that I like it because we can help people who need our help. But I didn't tell you Dean…simply because you were being the good son, listening to your dad's orders, you looked after me even though you missed your brother. Sorry sweetheart but you suck at masking your emotions and thoughts around me. I didn't want to pile more shit on your shoulders, but more importantly I didn't want you to think I was leaving you" I finished and Dean groaned, before resting his head against my thigh as he squeezed the life out of my hand.

"You said you only did the first year though?" Sam asked and I turned to look at him before shrugging and nodding.

"Yeah" I sighed, removing my hand from Dean's so that I could wipe at my tired eyes before Sam took that hand as he watched me, waiting for my explanation.

"The first year was good and I found the work challenging but I was capable of doing it. But the second year meant more work and I didn't have the time for that what with Hunting, especially since John decided I should do more fieldwork instead of sitting on my ass researching 'and watchin' daytime TV'" I said, using air quotes since those were John's exact words, "-though of course I wasn't watching TV, I was doing my work, which I managed to get in a month before the deadline. Anyway I wouldn't have had the time to do all that extra work which was double the first year of work since I helped Dean with jobs. Besides over the three years of helping Dean and John hustle people, and stealing wallets with cards and money in, I managed to save up enough money for the first year and rent out the books I needed, which I had to pay fines on some because of the amount of shit I had in my duffel that caused the books to become a bit worse for wear. I simply didn't have the time or money for year two" I stated and Sam rolled his lips into his mouth as I looked at Dean, who still had his head on my thigh, breathing heavily but I could feel how shaky his breathing was. I felt guilty now, because he was obviously upset about this.

"Dean?" I asked and he lifted his head to look at me and I saw the conflict on his face which made me send him a small smile.

"Don't worry, you shouldn't feel guilty. I chose this life and it chose me, I wouldn't give it up to go to college unless I became disabled and couldn't Hunt anymore" I shrugged and Dean rolled his eyes at my lame attempt to lighten the situation but I still smile.

"Besides, you heard professor Luton" I shrugged, "-I passed the first year and he remembered me" I stated and Dean frowned.

"You mean, he was on about you when he mentioned Ali?" he asked and I smiled before nodding.

"Yup, he remembers me because I finished that year at the top of everyone else in all of the Anthropology classes he taught that year and I think he taught three" I shrugged which made the boys' jaws dropped. I wasn't sure whether to be offended by that or not.

"Hey, just because I never showed signs of being that smart and not getting a scholarship, doesn't mean I don't have working brain cells" I said, lifting my right eyebrow tauntingly at them and they closed their mouths.

"That's great Als" Sam said and I grinned at him in reply.

"I'm proud of you too Sammy" I stated and he frowned which made me smirk.

"Please, just because you didn't keep in contact with us, doesn't mean we didn't keep an eye on you. I know your LSAT score. And I know that it was the highest because you are so clever" I said and both boys looked surprised which made me shift uncomfortably.

"What? I was curious as to how he was doing, since braniac here never thought about calling me and letting me know how he was doing" I said, glaring at Sam and he sent me an apologetic smile which I smiled at and let go of their hands to jump off the fence.

"So now you know" I stated, with a shrug, turning to look at Dean who smiled at me before shaking his head.

"You know, you could've told us" he stated and I frowned before snorting.

"Okay, I apologise for not telling you both" I sighed and he frowned but I shook my head at him, knowing what he was thinking.

"Can you really guarantee that your dad would've been happy for me?" I asked and Dean pursed his lips in thought. I could tell he wanted to say yes but he was never sure as to John's feelings towards me. Actually I never knew either. I nodded in reply.

"My point exactly. And if he was kicking my ass out, then I would be stuffed. I could just about afford the online course, I wouldn't be able to afford the full thing. Besides I stayed and did work in my spare time, but I don't know John as well as you do, so I can't guarantee how he would react to me in anyway. He had never made things clear when it comes to me, but I know exactly how he feels about you" I stated, shrugging in reply before heading back towards the Impala and walking around to the door to my side of the backseat.

"You coming? Since I can't drive the Impala myself" I said and Dean hurried over to the driver's side, not taking the chance that I would hijack his car which made me laugh as Sam wrapped me in his arms and I hugged him back, breathing in his manly smell, which weirdly enough he smelt slightly sweeter than Dean did.

"I'm proud of you Ali, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't there for you since I left for college" he sighed and I shrugged in reply.

"Hey, you had to try it Sammy, you had the balls to do something that I could only dream about" I said, before pulling back.

"Besides you did so well so I can't knock you down for that. I'm proud of you and if your dad isn't when he sees you, then I'm getting the sledgehammer out of the trunk that I know is in there" I said and Sam laughed before shaking his head and looking away. I frowned and touched his cheek, making him turn his attention back to me.

"Don't worry. Things will be back to normal between you and your father before you know it. But I know that he is proud of you Sammy. He's proud of you both. You're his boys and he does love you, even though he has a hard time saying it and has weird ways of showing it" I stated and he smiled before kissing my head.

"Thank you Als, you always know what to say" he stated and I chuckled.

"I have a way with words, why else do you think I would take English Lit?" I asked and Sam laughed before pulling back and we climbed into the car. Dean grinned at us and I could tell he had listened in on our conversation, before he pulled off the hard shoulder and back onto the highway.

"Where to now oh charming brother?" I asked and saw Dean smirk at me through the rear-view.

"I knew my dazzling looks and bright personality would change your mind about me at some point" he said, sending a wink my way.

"Focus on the road man-whore" I sighed which made both brothers laugh as I made myself comfortable leaning on the front seat in between Sam and Dean, giving Dean a chance to fondly ruffle my hair. Any other time I would slap his hands away but I knew it was meant with good intentions, and after telling him about doing those courses, I felt that the nice moment was needed. It would be back to sarcasm and teasing in about three hours, at the most.

"Your virgin ass wants me really" Dean said and I rolled my eyes, okay so maybe the teasing has started sooner than I thought it would.

"I'm not a guy Dean, so I'm not your type" I said, sending a playful wink at my brother, which made him go red with annoyance plus the fact that he couldn't think of a good enough comeback, which of course made Sam laugh that Dean couldn't think of something just as bad to say in return. I grinned at Sam and he high fived me before I ruffled Dean's hair, making his hair messy.

"Don't touch the hair" he said and I scrunched my face up.

"I don't want to. Who knows what STI's you've picked up over the years" I said and Sam snorted.

"Oh, burn dude" he stated and Dean groaned.

"Love you too Ali" he sighed and I laughed.

"I know you do. I love you as well. Someone other than your brother and dad has to I suppose and that duty falls to me" I shrugged. He just chuckled and rolled his eyes in reply.


End file.
